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SINGAPORE: Singapore remains a “very important target” for terrorists, and recent attacks and arrests in Malaysia show the need to be “extremely vigilant” against such threats, Law Minister and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Friday (June 28).
Speaking to the media at the Civil Servants Club on Tessensohn Road, Shanmugam said anything that happens across the Causeway will have an impact on Singapore as the two countries are close.
He said the threat was made worse by the prevalence of the violent ideology of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the region and the ability of attackers to use easily available items to carry out attacks.
He added that while there was no specific threat detected in Singapore at this time, everyone should still remain vigilant for any danger that might arise.
Before Shanmugam made the above statement, 8 people Arrested last weekend Arrested by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) for suspected links with the ISIS group.
Police carried out simultaneous operations in four states and detained six men and two women, aged between 25 and 70.
Malaysian Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told a news conference on Monday that investigations showed that Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, dignitaries and senior police officials had all received threats.
Regional threats
Mr Shanmugam said Malaysia’s special branch operations targeting terrorism suspects had helped to “significantly reduce the threat to Singapore and the region”.
“Our security is closely linked to Malaysia’s security. Because of the close proximity, what happens in Malaysia will have an impact on our security situation,” he said.
He cited the example of Singapore in the past Experience with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group.
As early as December 2001, the Internal Security Department (ISD) thwarted attacks on several locations in Singapore, including key military installations such as the Yishun MRT station and the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Bukit Gombak.
Jemaah Islamiyah members regrouped in Malaysia after the initial wave of arrests there.
“They want to plan revenge attacks against Singapore,” Mr Shanmugam said. “We remain a very important target for terrorists.”
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