Twenty-seven Bangladeshi construction workers were arrested here under the Internal Security Act after they were found to be contemplating armed jihad overseas as well as in their homeland, marking a stark reminder to Singaporeans of the threat of extremism, a point echoed in recent days by the Government.

Indeed, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam, who delivered a major speech on the scourge just a day earlier, pointedly warned that although the group was aiming for foreign targets, they could have just as easily changed their minds.

“While they were planning attacks outside Singapore, they could have easily changed their minds and attacked Singapore,” he said in a Facebook post.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also drilled home the point, posting on his Facebook page: “Fortunately they were plotting nefarious activities in Bangladesh, and not in Singapore. But they were still a serious threat to us.” He added: “We are tightening up our security, and acting to protect our racial and religious harmony. Radicalisation and terrorism must never take root in Singapore.”

… Nevertheless, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore president Alami Musa stressed the need to be vigilant. “When there are groups that congregate in certain places, we have to, in a way, be diligent to find out what is happening, what is being discussed,” he said. “As custodians of spaces like the mosques, the onus is on the mosque to try its best to know what’s happening in the mosque.”