Jakarta - A 16-year-old boy was detained by Singaporean authorities following his intention to attack 2 mosques. According to the authorities, the perpetrator was inspired by the killing of a Muslim congregation in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019.
The unnamed perpetrator had even purchased a tactical vest online, according to Reuters via Antara. Singapore's Department of Homeland Security (ISD) said an Indian-ethnic boy had been stalking mosques near his home.
He will broadcast his live attack and prepare a statement referring to Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant who is serving a life sentence for killing 51 Muslim worshipers and injuring dozens more on March 15, 2019.
"He could only predict two outcomes from his plan, that he was arrested before he could carry out an attack, or that he carried out his plan and was later killed by the Police," said Singapore's Department of Homeland Security (ISD).
He plans to carry out an attack on the anniversary of the Christchurch murder.
The boy is the youngest person detained under Singapore's colonial-era Homeland Security Act, which allows authorities to detain anyone categorized as a security threat for up to two years.
He is also the first person in Singapore with a low crime to be arrested for far-right extremist ideology, while there have been a number of cases involving Islamic extremism including a 17-year-old boy who was arrested for supporting ISIS last year.
It is not clear how long the 16-year-old will be detained. Minister of Home Affair K. Shanmugam said on Wednesday that he would be provided with psychological counseling and would be able to continue his education while in detention but would not face any criminal charges.
"It could be said in court that he only thought about it. He had planned it, but he hadn't actually taken a step. Thus, in many countries, no statute is similar to the Internal Security Act. You cannot move earlier until there are further preparatory actions," he said.
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