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SINGAPORE – Police and some churches in Singapore have tightened security measures for Easter weekend, in light of a suicide attack on an Indonesian church on Sunday (March 28), as well as two thwarted terror plots in the Republic in recent months.
Authorities and experts said there was no sign that the extremist group behind the attack in Indonesia, the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), posed an immediate threat to Singapore.
But they emphasized the continued importance of community policing against the specter of the “lone wolf” actor.
The attackers in Indonesia were a married couple who attempted to enter the grounds of a Catholic cathedral on a motorcycle as mass ended on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week celebrated by Christians, which culminates with Good Friday and Easter in this Sunday.
They were stopped by church security at the gate before setting off a bomb that injured 19 and committed suicide.
In March, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam, said that security in places of worship may have to be increased, on the same day that the Department of Homeland Security (ISD) announced that it had detained a 20-year-old Muslim. years for planning to kill. Jews. This was weeks after a Christian teenager was arrested for a plot to attack mosques.
A spokesman for the Home Office (MHA) told The Straits Times that the police have already improved patrols at places of worship during this Easter period and will continue to ensure that emergency forces can get anywhere as quickly as possible. possible in the event of an incident.
Places of worship have also been reminded to review their security measures and contingency plans.
Lawrence Jeremiah, who oversees security at the Church of the Holy Spirit, has increased the number of guards on his team by four, from the usual 17.
“These four will do nothing more than look at all the parishioners who enter the church,” said the retired member of the military.
The Singapore Catholic Church said in a statement to ST that it has advised its churches to maintain greater vigilance, and that some parishes conduct random baggage checks.
The National Council of Churches noted that the Covid-19 measures have provided an additional level of security, as worshipers must register or purchase tickets online due to the 250-person limit on the size of congregations. They also have to go through SafeEntry check-in at limited entry points.
Yaniv Peretz, whose international security consulting firm Lorin provides counterterrorism advice to places of worship, said one way to minimize their vulnerability as “soft” targets is to constantly monitor social media or online forums. The presence of hate groups or threatening posts would show sentiments that may pose a potential threat, he said.
The MHA spokesperson said there is no specific intelligence at this time that the JAD group, which is loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), is planning an attack in Singapore.
In 2019, three Indonesian women became the first foreign domestic workers in Singapore to be detained by the ISD for donating funds to advance the causes of JAD and ISIS. They were later jailed for financing terrorism.
Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, who heads the International Center for Research on Political Violence and Terrorism at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that JAD remains strongly focused on Indonesia. “The most likely concern at the local level would be the possibility of low-tech knife attacks by lone actors.”
The two recently foiled terrorist attacks in Singapore are a case in point, he said.
The 20-year-old had planned to use a knife and the teenager, a machete.
This Easter, congregations should keep in mind the mantra of the national counter-terrorism movement SGSecure to stay alert. “The idea is to stay alert but not alarmed,” he said.
MHA reiterated the critical role that the community plays as “eyes and ears on the ground.”
Senior Pastor Christopher Chia said his Adam Road Presbyterian Church would remind parishioners to be more vigilant.
The Catholic Church said it is also key to detecting disorderly and radical behavior within its own ranks, noting: “Terrorism is an ideology of selfish dissent that can come from violent elements in any religious organization.”
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