The Straits Times
09 December 2016
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- JI Arrests: 15 Years Later
JI Arrests: 15 Years Later
Fifteen years ago today – on Dec 9, 2001 – the Internal Security Department (ISD) arrested six Singaporean Jemaah Islamiah (JI) members, with a further 15 detained within a month, thwarting plans to attack Yishun MRT station and several foreign embassies.
The arrests were made possible through crucial information from a friendly security partner and, more crucially, a tip-off by a concerned member of the Singapore Muslim community.
JI arrests carried on in Singapore – as they did in Malaysia and Indonesia – through the following years, with approximately 40 Singaporean JI or JI-linked individuals arrested or detained at various points.
It is worth reflecting, 15 years on from the commencement of the ISD operation, on how far we have come as a state and society in the journey against terrorism, and what the future might hold.
… Dr Shashi Jayakumar is head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
CENS / Print / Online
