Terror arrests: 23 young people issued with restriction or detention orders in last 10 years
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SINGAPORE - The 14-year-old student arrested in May for terrorism-related activities is the youngest to be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The next youngest is 15 years old. They were among three self-radicalised Singaporeans aged 14 to 19, who were issued with detention orders recently under the ISA for planning to carry out separate attacks here.
The 14-year-old and the 19-year-old had plans to target schools they attended.
The three are not the only teenagers to face Internal Security Department (ISD) investigations.
Between June 2024 and November 2025, restriction orders were issued against three 14-year-olds for terrorism-related activities.
Those issued with a restriction order are not detained, but they cannot travel out of Singapore, or change their residence or employment without approval. They are also not allowed to access the Internet or social media.
In the last 10 years, 23 young people aged between 14 and 20 have been dealt with under ISA.
Some had made extensive preparations which included plans to use easily accessible weapons to cause harm to others and themselves. More than half of them intended to mount attacks in Singapore.
Senior Minister K. Shanmugam noted on July 27 that self-radicalisation was starting at a younger age and at a faster rate.
Minister for Education Desmond Lee said his ministry was very concerned by the growing number of children and young people who have been radicalised online, and for whom ISD has had to take action.
Many of the young people were radicalised through online content and social media. They supported a range of ideologies like far-right extremism and terror groups including ISIS.
Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister, added: “So, you see, (these are) young people. Younger and younger persons are getting radicalised.”
The Straits Times looks at notable past cases of youth dealt with under the ISA since 2020.
Inspired by shootings
In June 2024, a 17-year-old boy identified five mosques in Jurong West, Clementi, Margaret Drive, Admiralty Road and Beach Road and planned to kill at least 100 Muslims there leaving after Friday prayers.
He was inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019 that saw 51 Muslims murdered, and aimed to double the body count here.
His scheme was thwarted by ISD, and he was issued a detention order in March 2025.
Targeted Tampines
Tracing his steps from his home to an open area in Tampines Street 81, near supermarkets, provision shops and coffee shops, a children’s art school and a tuition centre, a 17-year-old teenager made plans to attack non-Muslims along the route with a pair of scissors.
The ISIS supporter, who was from a mainstream school, was identified and stopped just weeks before he could execute his plan.
He wanted to carry out his attack during the 2024 September school holidays and had practised stabbing motions with a pair of scissors.
He was arrested in August 2024 and issued a detention order a month later.
ISD said the teenager chose this HDB heartland area near Tampines West Community Club as it was crowded and near his home.
Far-right extremism
Nick Lee Xing Qiu had idolised Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019.
Lee was influenced by far-right extremism, and role-played as a terrorist in an online game where he pretended to kill Muslims in a mosque.
His plan was to attack Muslims at a mosque in Singapore. He got a tattoo and T-shirts with custom prints of logos associated with neo-Nazi, white supremacist and far-right groups.
Lee was 18 years old when he was issued a detention order in December 2024.
First 14-year-old
In July 2024, ISD identified a 14-year-old Secondary 3 student as the youngest person to be issued a restriction order in Singapore.
The teenager wanted to fight for the Black Flag Army – a prophesied Muslim army that is said to engage in a final battle with non-believers during the end of times.
He considered carrying out attacks in Singapore, and started an online chat group, hoping to recruit 60 to 100 people. ISD said he tried to radicalise his schoolmates but failed.
The youth also thought about attacking non-Muslims in Singapore during festivals like Chinese New Year, Christmas and Deepavali as he considered them to be “un-Islamic”.
Multiple beliefs
A 19-year-old was issued a restriction order in March 2026 after being radicalised by a form of violent extremism where individuals subscribe to multiple, and sometimes conflicting, extremist beliefs.
Cyrus Dzulqarnain Al-Shahriar saw online posts in 2025 on school shooter Elliot Rodger, 22, and became intrigued by his incel inclinations. Rodger had killed six and injured 14 people near the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2014.
Incel, short for “involuntary celibate”, refers to a sub-culture of individuals, mostly men, who identify as being unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one.
After perusing online incel forums, Cyrus identified as an incel and fantasised about committing violence against certain groups of people in school, including LGBTQ individuals and couples in relationships.
Even though his thoughts did not progress beyond ideation, ISD said his support for terrorist and extremist groups, and his online postings inciting violence against others, were of security concern.
Female teen
A 15-year-old self-radicalised Singaporean student, who wanted to marry an ISIS fighter in Syria, was issued a restriction order in February 2025.
She started at least eight online relationships with ISIS supporters, and even considered saving money to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, so she could start a pro-ISIS family and raise sons to become fighters for the cause.
School shoooting
Within a year of consuming extremist content, a 14-year-old teenager supported ISIS, far-right and far-left extremism, communism, hated women and Jews, and idolised Osama bin Laden, Adolf Hitler and Kim Jong Il.
He was in contact with several foreign extremists, one of whom offered to help him plan an attack in Singapore and even sent him bomb-making manuals. The youth eventually did not take any steps to carry out such an attack.
The teen, who thought of carrying out a school shooting, was issued with a restriction order in September 2025.
Machete attacks
A 16-year-old Singaporean student was detained in December 2020 for planning to attack mosques and kill worshippers in Singapore in March 2021, on the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks.
The then-Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) student was found to have made detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks using a machete against Muslims at two mosques.
He had chosen mosques near his home.
Influenced by the Christchurch attacker, the youth wanted to live-stream his planned massacre.
Army camp
A self-radicalised 18-year-old student was issued a detention order in December 2022 after making plans to take part in armed violence in Singapore and abroad in support of ISIS.
Muhammad Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor had plans to stab and kill non-believers in dark alleys here and carry out a mass-casualty attack at Amoy Quee Camp by recruiting a suicide car bomber.
He was arrested by ISD in November 2022, a few days before he planned to take the pledge of allegiance to then ISIS leader Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, while wearing his National Cadet Corps uniform and a self-made ISIS flag and headband.