SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore said on Thursday it had arrested three men since October last year who were preparing to travel to the Middle East to fight against Israel, and that one of them had expressed a willingness to launch attacks in Singapore if asked to do so.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that the three Singaporean men were not related to each other and had been “radicalized” online, but there was no indication that others had been recruited.
It was not immediately clear why the ministry announced the arrest on Thursday.
After their arrest in October, they were detained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, which allows suspects to be detained for long periods without trial.
The three were directors of a digital marketing company, an elevator mechanic, and a security guard, and were 41, 21, and 44 years old, respectively.
The statement said that one of the three was ready to carry out any instructions from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “including launching attacks in Singapore,” adding that the man had no specific attack plans.
The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) enjoys support from Iran. Iran did not pose any threat against Singapore.
She added that one of the two men visited a shooting range in Thailand to learn how to use firearms, while the two planned to visit a shooting range in Indonesia.
The ministry said restrictions were imposed on two other Singaporeans in June and July last year under the security law related to the Gaza conflict.
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