Man admits throwing Molotov cocktail at ex-wife’s home, spraying loan shark message as act of revenge

• Ismail Didih Ibrahim went to his ex-wife’s landed home during the circuit breaker period
• He prepared a Molotov cocktail, threw it at her porch and sprayed ‘O$P$’ on her house 
• The explosive substance landed next to a pile of wooden boards and his ex-wife’s car 

SINGAPORE — Angry at his ex-wife, Ismail Didih Ibrahim wore a raincoat to disguise himself, drove over to her landed home in Joo Chiat and threw a Molotov cocktail at her front porch.

He also sprayed “O$P$” on her house — used by loansharks to mean owe money, pay money — even though no one in her family had borrowed money from unlicensed moneylenders.

Ismail, who worked as a manager at his parent’s restaurant, changed outfits to avoid detection but his actions were caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and in-car camera footage from a nearby vehicle.

On Monday (April 26), the 36-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty to one count of mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage, as well as another charge of leaving his home without a reasonable excuse during the circuit breaker period.

A third charge of committing mischief will be taken into consideration for sentencing, slated for June 21. Ismail remains out on bail in the meantime.

The court heard that Ismail committed the offences on the evening of May 12 last year during the circuit breaker period which was imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19 by restricting movement. 

REPAIRS TOTALLED S$5,000 TO S$6,000

The circuit breaker rules did not deter Ismail who wanted to take revenge on his ex-wife, now aged 32, whom he married in 2017 and divorced in February 2019. 

Court documents did not state what he was upset about.

He retrieved an empty bottle, a bottle half-filled with paint thinner, some rags and a spray can of black paint from his home storeroom, “with the idea to make his ex-wife ‘not be in peace’”, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Chong Kee En told the court.

He drove over to her house and parked at an adjacent street.

CCTV footage captured him going to his car boot and preparing a Molotov cocktail by pouring the paint thinner into the empty bottle and stuffing rags on the top. 

He was seen on the video glancing around to see if anyone was watching him.

After about five minutes, he walked over to the house and placed the Molotov cocktail in some nearby bushes while he sprayed ‘O$PS’ on her house.

His ex-wife and her family were at home and had just broken their fast as it was the holy month of Ramadan at the time.

Ismail then lit the Molotov cocktail and threw it on the wooden front porch. 

It landed next to some wooden boards and his ex-wife’s car.

No one in the house noticed what had happened as they were all upstairs but a neighbour did and put out the fire with water. She also called the family down who then called the police.

Ismail hurried away, removed his raincoat and disposed of his items in a nearby rubbish bin while walking back to his car. 

DPP Chong said: “He had changed his outfit in order to look different and to avoid detection. Due to the change in outfit, the police initially had difficulty locating the suspect.”

While the police initially thought the damage to the house was caused by illegal money lending, further investigations revealed Ismail had sprayed the O$P$ sign.

His ex-wife had to replace and repaint her car’s fender and mirror. The fire had also caused damage to the front porch’s floor tiles, walls and pillars.

The total costs of repair came up to between S$5,000 and S$6,000.

The incident left Ismail’s ex-wife feeling traumatised and unsafe which she said led to her seeing her counsellor more frequently and paying S$1,000 more. 

Her family also installed more CCTV cameras as they did not feel safe.

Ismail has voluntarily compensated her with S$5,000 and donated S$3,000 to three charities of her choice.

For mischief by fire, he could be jailed for up to seven years and fined. For leaving his home without a reasonable excuse, he could be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or punished with both.