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Community Response to Terrorism
27 December 2021
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It started with a tip from the community, which came after our security agencies in Singapore had reached out to Singaporeans in the wake of 9/11.
20 years ago, in Dec 2001, the Internal Security Department (ISD) had launched community engagements as part of a security operation against the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network in Singapore. The operation eventually thwarted various terrorist plots that JI had planned across Singapore, including attacks on various embassies, planes, and key public infrastructure, and uncovered JI’s networks across the region. It resulted in the arrest, too, of Mas Selamat, a JI leader who was at one point Singapore’s most-wanted fugitive after escaping from a detention centre in 2008.
Since then, terrorism and its challenges have evolved, especially with the rise of self-radicalised individuals. So we know that we cannot rest on our laurels. We continue building up and improving our systems to be better able to handle a range of threats. Within the community, religious leaders step up to preserve the harmony between different groups, as every one of stays remains alert and vigilant in our everyday lives.
How we've responded has showed us the strength of our security systems, and what we can do as a community that stays united and band together. And only then can we meet the things that threaten to shake and divide us.
📷: MHA / ISD