St Joseph’s Church incident: Man to be charged for making a false threat of terrorist act

The police arrested the man, who is a church volunteer, under anti-terrorism laws on Dec 21 for his suspected involvement in the incident.SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old Singaporean man is set to be charged on Dec 22 with making a false threat of terrorist act following an incident at St Joseph’s Church involving a suspicious item found at its premises.The police had arrested the man, who is a church volunteer, under anti-terrorism laws on Dec 21 for his suspected involvement in the incident.In a statement on Dec 22, the police said preliminary investigations suggest that the man had allegedly staged the incident by placing a self-fabricated item which resembled an improvised explosive device within the church premises.He is believed to have acted alone, the police said, adding that there is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror.He is expected to be charged in court on Dec 22 under Regulation 8(2)(a) of the United Nations (Anti-terrorism Measures) Regulations.The police said an application will be made for the man to be remanded for psychiatric evaluation.If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.Mass services at the church at 620 Upper Bukit Timah Road were cancelled on Dec 21 after the police were alerted to the incident at about 7am.A churchgoer had said that the incident happened before the Chinese-language mass at 7.30am.The church premises were evacuated and the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group was activated.The police later said the item resembled an improvised explosive device but was actually harmless.The suspicious item – three cardboard rolls and wires stuck together with black tape – was removed from the scene and police operations concluded at about 5pm.Members of the public are reminded to always stay vigilant, the police said in their Dec 22 statement.Anyone with information on suspicious persons or activities can call the police on 999, send an SMS to 70999, submit information via www.police.gov.sg/i-witness, or through the SGSecure app.Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproductionDiscover how to enjoy other premium articles here