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SINGAPORE – A 20-year-old full-time former national serviceman has been detained under the Internal Security Act for planning a knife attack on Jews at the Maghain Aboth synagogue in Singapore.
Amirull Ali had also planned to travel to Gaza in Palestine to join Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (AQB), in their fight against Israel, the Interior Ministry (MHA) said in a news story. launch on Wednesday (March 10).
According to local media reports, Amirull was arrested on February 5 while still in national service in the Singapore Armed Forces. On March 5, an ISA arrest warrant was issued against him.
Amirull’s arrest comes more than a month after the Department of Homeland Security (ISD) announced that it had detained a 16-year-old Singaporean man for planning a machete attack on Muslims at two Singapore mosques. ISD said it was inspired by the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings carried out by Brenton Tarrant, which took the lives of 51 people.
Planned to kill 3 Jewish males
Knowing that a firearm would be difficult to obtain in Singapore, Amirull intended to use a Smith & Wesson knife that he had purchased in 2016 for his scouting activities. He also downloaded an image of the human vascular system that he used to identify the midsection as the best place to stab a person and ensure “rapid death from massive hemorrhage,” MHA said.
He then made a replica of a knife to practice stabbing movements and grappling technique, and to avoid damaging the actual knife he planned to use.
Amirull also admitted to taking two reconnaissance trips to the Waterloo Street Synagogue between August and early October 2019. During these trips, he identified a suitable location along one of the outer walls from which he could ambush his victims. To avoid suspicion, he avoided taking pictures of the synagogue and instead downloaded an online image of the location from the Internet.
The young man’s plan was to carry out his attack on a Saturday when people were leaving the synagogue after prayers. “His aim was to kill three Jewish men; he had targeted the men under the assumption that they would have served in national service in Israel and thus carried out alleged atrocities against Palestinians,” MHA said.
The ministry added that Amirull planned to hide his face with a white keffiyeh (scarf) during the attack, after which he would flee the scene and post a short manifesto online when he got home. This manifesto was aimed at inciting all oppressed people to mount attacks against tyrannical regimes using any means necessary, including murder and self-justice.
In October 2019, Amirull was hesitant about carrying out an attack out of concern that he would not achieve martyrdom should he be arrested and sentenced to death. “In his opinion, martyrdom can only be achieved by fighting on a real battlefield in Gaza,” MHA said.
However, after watching a video online about the murder of an autistic and unarmed Palestinian by Israeli forces, Amirull was enraged and considered carrying out his attack on Christmas Day 2020. This time, he planned to don a black balaclava like those used by AQB fighters in Gaza.
These plans were also eventually shelved out of concerns about not achieving martyrdom.
Journey towards self-radicalization
MHA said Amirull’s interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict began in 2014 after he saw a video showing Palestinian civilians being bombarded by Israeli warplanes. Subsequently, his online research convinced him that Israel was oppressing the Palestinians and also deepened his hatred for Israel.
He began supporting AQB in 2015 after reading a book glorifying the group’s exploits in fighting for Palestinian rights. In 2018, Amirull discussed with a foreign contact his intention to travel to Palestine to join AQB and was encouraged to do so. “They told him that he would become a martyr if he died fighting the enemies of Islam on the battlefield,” MHA said.
Amirull made preparations for the trip between mid-2018 and 2020. This included researching travel routes to Gaza and practicing handling the rifle with a homemade replica of an AK-47 assault rifle. He focused on this model of rifle because he was convinced that he would receive one while serving in the AQB. Amirull’s plan was to join the group after completing his full-time national service and when he had saved enough money.
ISD investigations found that Amirull had acted alone and showed no signs of trying to influence others with his plan of attack or his radical beliefs. Her immediate family and others in her social circles were unaware of her plans, MHA said. The ministry also noted that it was the Defense Ministry that alerted ISD to Amirull’s possible radicalization.
“If Amirull had not been detected, he could have carried out his attack plans in Singapore or traveled abroad to carry out acts of armed violence,” MHA said. He added that anyone who suspects that a person has been radicalized can contact the ISD Counter-Terrorism Center hotline at 1800-2626-473 (1800-2626-ISD).
Updates on other cases
In updates of other similar cases, MHA said 49-year-old Sheik Heikel Khalid Bafana had been released and placed on a restraining order (RO) earlier this month. He was detained under the ISA in March 2019 for his active participation in Yemen’s civil war.
MHA added that the RO placed on 63-year-old Rasidah Mazlan in March 2019 expired this month. An RO was issued to him in March 2019 after investigations found that he was in contact with multiple foreign entities believed to be involved in terrorism-related activities.
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