Singaporean authorities have detained a 17-year-old boy who allegedly planned to carry out attacks at multiple mosques, intending to kill dozens of Muslim worshippers, the Internal Security Department (ISD) announced on Wednesday.
According to officials, the teen was arrested in March after being inspired by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who killed worshippers at mosques in New Zealand in 2019. The ISD stated that the suspect identified as an “East Asian Supremacist” and had selected five mosques in Singapore for his planned attacks.
Home Minister K Shanmugam revealed that the teen had attempted to acquire a firearm multiple times and had intended to live-stream his attack. “He wanted to kill at least 100 Muslims, surpassing Tarrant’s death toll,” Shanmugam said. “If he had managed to obtain a gun, he would have gone through with it.”
Investigations also linked the teen to 18-year-old Nick Lee, who was detained in December for similar plans.
Additionally, the ISD reported that a 15-year-old girl was placed under restrictions in February for her connections with ISIS supporters online. Authorities warned of the increasing threat of youth radicalization through extremist content on the internet, urging vigilance.
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