ISD warns terrorism threat to Singapore remains high; youth radicalisation a pressing concern

The adapted narratives can encompass elements such as “East Asian supremacy”, anti-Muslim prejudice and antisemitism.

Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE)

NVE refers to violence driven by a deep hostility towards society or humanity, where violence itself – rather than a clear political, religious or ideological goal – is a central motivation.

“NVE extremists essentially engage in violence for violence’s sake,” S Rajaratnam School of International Studies dean Kumar Ramakrishna told CNA previously.

NVE is particularly influenced by the online True Crime Community.

Extremism linked to the True Crime Community

The True Crime Community is a broad, decentralised online subculture centred on real-life violent crime, where individuals glorify, celebrate and exhibit fan-like behaviour towards perpetrators of extreme violence.

While not inherently extremist, part of the True Crime Community subculture can overlap with NVE, where fascination with violent perpetrators turns into glorification, identification with their grievances or a desire to emulate their violent acts.

Extremism linked to the incel ideology

The incel subculture – “incel” being short for “involuntary celibate” – is a subculture of individuals, mostly men, who identify as being unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one.

The incel community is a subset of the “manosphere”, a broad online network of communities centred on male supremacism, anti-feminism and grievance-based views on gender.

Some incel ideologies have been linked to misogyny, violence and extremism.