SINGAPORE — A 19-year-old Singaporean, who was detained in December 2020 for being radicalised by far-right extremist ideologies, was released from detention in January 2024, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said.

He was released because he had made good progress in his rehabilitation and was assessed to “no longer pose an imminent security threat”, ISD said in a media release on Wednesday (Jan 24).

The teenager was issued a suspension direction, which is a ministerial direction suspending an existing detention order, and the Minister for Home Affairs may revoke this such that the person will be re-detained if he does not comply with any of the conditions stipulated.

The teenager was the first to be dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for being radicalised by such far-right extremist ideologies.

He had made detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks using a machete against Muslims at two mosques in Singapore. 

Separately, ISD said that a second Singaporean — a 16-year-old Chinese Singaporean male — was issued a restriction order under the same Act in November last year, after investigations found that he was self-radicalised by online far-right extremist propaganda.

HOW HE WAS REHABILITATED

The 19-year-old youth, who is a protestant Christian, underwent an “intensive rehabilitation programme” during his three years in detention, ISD said.

To address his extremist mindset, which included the “misguided belief that Christians were under attack by Muslims”, the authority said that it worked with the National Council of Churches of Singapore to arrange for a Christian pastor to counsel the youth.

Through these sessions, the pastor taught the youth to “embrace virtues of non-violence and temperance, and to appreciate inter-faith harmony”. 

He also learnt to exercise “tolerance and moderation” when practising his faith in Singapore, ISD added. 

Besides receiving counselling, a psychologist from ISD regularly engaged the youth to address his “permissive attitude towards violence” and the socio-psychological factors that had contributed to his radicalisation.

These factors included self-esteem issues and a strong desire for social validation, which led the youth to idolise Brenton Tarrant as a “hero” and want to emulate him. Tarrant carried out a terrorist attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019.

To help the teenager improve his self-esteem and overcome the challenges he faced in relating to others, he was also assigned three mentors. These mentors included his former secondary school teacher and two volunteers from the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), which is a voluntary group that trains Muslim religious teachers to counsel those who have been misled by radical teachings.

The mentors guided his personal growth and development, by helping him set “pro-social goals” and aspirations that he could work towards, ISD said.

His family also played a key role in his rehabilitation — their weekly visits and words of encouragement motivated him to stay on track with his rehabilitation. 

“He has been receptive to these efforts, and has since rejected far-right extremist ideas and the use of violence. He no longer harbours any animosity towards Muslims and has internalised the importance of racial and religious harmony in Singapore,” ISD said.

The authority had also made arrangements for the youth, who was a secondary school student at the time of his detention, to continue his education and sit for the GCE N-Level (Academic) and GCE O-Level examinations while in detention.

He received weekly lessons from at least five tutors, including teachers trained by the Ministry of Education who are RRG volunteers, in the lead-up to his examinations.

“He did well for his examinations and intends to further his studies in an institute of higher learning after his release. ISD will continue to work with his family, school and other rehabilitation stakeholders to ease his reintegration into society,” the authority said.