Singapore detains teen over extremist plot against Muslims

18-year-old ‘East Asian supremacist’ planned mosque attack, inspired by Christchurch shooter

SINGAPORE (MNTV) — Authorities in Singapore have detained an 18-year-old student accused of plotting a violent attack on Malays and Muslims, inspired by far-right extremist ideologies and the Christchurch mosque shooter, Brenton Tarrant.

The Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Monday that Nick Lee Xing Qiu was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in December 2024 after expressing violent intentions and consuming extremist online content.

According to Channel News Asia, investigators found that Lee, who identified as an “East Asian supremacist,” had searched for footage of the Christchurch massacre, role-played as Tarrant in video games, and acquired neo-Nazi symbols.

He had also tattooed symbols from Tarrant’s attire and manifesto onto his body.

Authorities revealed that he had planned to launch an attack on a Singapore mosque using homemade guns, knives, and Molotov cocktails, with the aim of inciting a “race war.”

Although he had not taken concrete steps to execute his plan, he was actively spreading extremist propaganda online to incite violence.

The ISD noted that Lee subscribed to conspiracy theories like the Great Replacement Theory, which falsely claims that growing minority populations threaten dominant ethnic groups.

He reportedly believed drastic action was needed to safeguard Singapore’s Chinese community.

His family and schoolmates were unaware of his radicalisation, and authorities have assured that there was no imminent threat to public safety.

Singapore has zero tolerance for extremism, and officials reiterated their commitment to preventing radicalisation and safeguarding racial and religious harmony in the city-state.