Parents have reported their self-radicalised children to ISD, says Shanmugam

Early reporting by public can prevent these individuals from harming themselves and others, he says

- Samuel Devaraj and Caelyn Tan

Several self-radicalised Singaporean youths have over the years been reported to the Internal Security Department (ISD) by their families and teachers.

It is this early reporting by the public that is critical in protecting society from terror attacks being carried out by self-radicalised people, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on Oct 18.

He was speaking to the media at Tampines Street 81, after a 17-year-old Singaporean youth was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in August.

The youth had planned to kill non-Muslim men during the September school holidays in that area, which has supermarkets, provision shops, coffee shops, a children's art school and a tuition centre.

Since 2015, 14 self-radicalised Singaporeans aged 20 and below have been dealt with under ISA, including this 17-year-old.

On how the Ministry of Home Affairs could encourage the public to alert the authorities about self-radicalised youth, Mr Shanmugam said the community is a very important line of defence.

He said: "Parents will want their children to be safe. No parent really wants his child to go and do something, then die in the process, do something bad, kill others, then he himself, or she herself, is killed.