Police officers did a praiseworthy job in handling the incident near Shangri-La Hotel, said security experts and former policemen.

At about 4.30am yesterday, the police opened fire at a car when its driver ignored warnings and crashed through a police vehicular checkpoint set up along Ardmore Park.

The driver of the car, a 34-year-old Singaporean man, died. Two other Singaporean men, aged 26 and 31, who were with him were arrested.

… Security expert Yang Razali Kassim, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: “I would not think the decisive action by the security authorities would have occurred under ordinary circumstances.”

“But the incident leading to the action came hot on the heels of a disclosure at the Shangri-La Dialogue of plans to assassinate Singapore leaders, in particular the President and the PM.

“It is not surprising therefore that the security authorities would be on high alert.”