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 have faced 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 the ISA.
Some had made extensive preparations that 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 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 the 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 September school holidays in 2024 and had practised stabbing motions with a pair of scissors.
He was arrested in August 2024 and issued a detention order a month later.
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