Extremist arrested in Singapore for plotting to attack mosque

Extremist arrested in Singapore for plotting mosque attack

Singapore has arrested 18-year-old far-right extremist Lee Hsingqiu, who was planning to carry out a terrorist attack at the Sultan Hussein Mosque, the Singaporean Ministry of Home Affairs announced.

Li Xingqiu is said to have been radicalized and attempted to launch attacks against Malaysians and Muslims in Singapore. He called himself an "East Asian supremacist" and believed in the supremacy of the Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese.

The investigation revealed that he repeatedly viewed videos of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. He also radicalized his personal views by studying far-right extremist ideas online.

In September 2024, the defendant got a tattoo of Nazi symbols on his body. It turned out that he, together with his online associates, planned to carry out a terrorist attack and intended to broadcast it live.

The Singaporean government has said it will take strict action against such radical acts and that extremism will not be tolerated in the country. The investigation into the arrest is currently ongoing.