SINGAPORE, June 23 — There is no "specific and credible” intelligence pointing to an imminent terrorist attack against Singapore presently, though the threat from self-radicalised individuals influenced by violent materials online remains prevalent, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a report today.

Most of the radical and violent ideology influencing these individuals comes from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), which continues to be the primary threat to Singapore.

But the authorities are also mindful of emerging threats about far-right extremism that could gain traction in the region, the report said.

Last December, Singapore detected the first case of a self-radicalised individual inspired by far-right extremist ideologies — a 16-year-old student who had planned to attack two mosques with a machete.

Since its last report at the start of 2019, the (ISD) has foiled attacks by two Singaporean youths who targeted places of worship in Singapore.

"These cases underscore the very real threat of lone-actor attacks by self-radicalised individuals,” said the report.

Stressing that the terrorism threat to Singapore remains high, the report noted that foreign groups such as Isis and Al Qaeda have stepped up their recruitment and propaganda efforts on social media amid the pandemic, encouraging their supporters worldwide to conduct attacks.

"The enduring appeal of Isis violent ideology is seen among the self-radicalised cases dealt with in Singapore in the past two years, the majority of whom were Isis supporters,” said the report.

Jemaah Islamiyah, an Al Qaeda-aligned terrorist group that had plotted attacks in Singapore two decades ago, also remains a latent threat, the report said.

The ISD said: "We need to maintain vigilance and strengthen the community’s preparedness and resilience. Above all, we need to safeguard our social cohesion. A cohesive and united society is our best defence against terrorism and radicalisation.” 

External threats

The ISD said that Southeast Asia remains part of Isis’ decentralised global caliphate and is still the primary terrorism threat actor in the region.