Singapore

An Indian-origin Singaporean man has been charged with making a false terrorist threat at a church in Singapore, triggering the cancellation of all services for the day, local media reported on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday at St Joseph’s Church in the Upper Bukit Timah area, an upmarket residential neighbourhood. The accused, Kokulananthan Mohan (26), was charged under Regulation 8(2)(a) of the United Nations (Anti-terrorism Measures) Regulations, according to Channel News Asia.

Court documents stated that Kokulananthan allegedly placed three cardboard rolls filled with stone pebbles and fitted with protruding red wires, held together with black and yellow adhesive tape, inside the church at around 7.11 am. The items were designed to resemble an improvised explosive device (IED), with the intention of inducing a false belief that they could explode or ignite, potentially causing injury or property damage.

Following the discovery of the suspicious object, police arrested Kokulananthan. In a statement, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said preliminary investigations suggested that the man had staged the incident using a self-fabricated item resembling an IED within the church premises.

The police clarified that he is believed to have acted alone and that there is currently no evidence to suggest the act was religiously motivated or linked to terrorism.

During court proceedings, the prosecution sought to have Kokulananthan remanded for psychiatric evaluation. He was subsequently remanded for three weeks and is expected to return to court on January 12.

According to the Channel News Asia report, Kokulananthan initially told the court that there had been a “miscommunication”, claiming his previous hospital admission was related to alcohol consumption. However, the judge said the psychiatric evaluation was sought based on observations made by the investigation officer regarding his conduct and behaviour during arrest and police operations.

Kokulananthan later explained that his behaviour was due to a lack of sleep, as he works night shifts. The judge advised him to convey this explanation to the psychiatrist during the evaluation.

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If convicted, Kokulananthan could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to SGD 500,000 (about USD 386,757), or both.