Indonesia police arrest six in alleged plot to launch rocket attack on Singapore

From CNBC Asia news, Channel News Asia and Al jazeera

Six suspects were arrested in an alleged plot to launch a rocket attack on Singapore’s Marina Bay from the Indonesian island of Batam, Indonesian media reported Friday. 

Singapore’s Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen confirmed in a Facebook post late Friday that one of the alleged plans of the group of suspects was to use rockets to attack targets in Marina Bay from Batam. “We should assume that there may be more plots, other terror cells on the lookout for ways, and new munitions to penetrate our defenses,” Ng said.

Parts of the Batam Island are as little as 20 kilometers away from Singapore, although it wasn’t immediately clear where the attackers were based.

The six suspects, aged 19 to 46, were arrested on Friday by Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism squad, Singapore’s Today newspaper reported, noting that all but one worked at a fabric factory. The sixth suspect was reportedly a bank executive, Today reported. .. allegedly from the terror group KGR@Katibah GR, … including ringleader Gigih Rahmat Dewa, 31,

Agus Rianto, Indonesian police spokesman, said on Friday the suspects had been plotting with a member of ISIL, also known as ISIS, in Syria to attack Singapore’s Marina Bay, which is about 15km south of Batam. “What we understand so far is that they were planning to attack vital objects, busy areas including police offices,” Rianto said.

The arrested men are suspected to have links to Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting for ISIL in Syria, Indonesian police said. “There’s a link to Bahrun Naim because there was communication with Bahrun Naim – but whether they were affiliated with Bahrun Naim’s group or not – this is what we’re investigating now,” Rianto said.

Security officials fear that Naim and other ISIL leaders are now asking supporters in Indonesia and other countries to launch attacks at home, instead of being drawn to the fight in the Middle East.

Singapore’s government declined to release additional details about the alleged plot, including how credible it was considered. It wasn’t clear whether the suspects would have had access to materials for a rocket attack.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing also posted comments on Facebook, calling the plot “extremely serious. … Our security agencies and the Indonesian counterparts have done well to foil this plot. But we must always remember that we have to get it right, first time every time, all the time; while the attackers only need to get it right one time, anytime. Our safeguard is eternal vigilance by our security agencies and every Singaporean,”