Singapore authorities have detained three teenage boys in connection with separate planned attacks involving shootings, stabbings, and bombings, officials announced on Wednesday. The arrests, made between April and June, highlight concerns over the rise of "youth radicalisation" in the largely secure city-state.

The Internal Security Department (ISD) reported that the three individuals, aged 14, 15, and 19, were believed to have self-radicalised through online content and embraced violent extremist ideologies. All three detainees are being held under the Internal Security Act, which permits detention without trial in cases deemed a threat to national security.

According to the ISD, the youngest suspect, a 14-year-old secondary school student, had planned a stabbing attack at his school. Initially, he sought to obtain a firearm but abandoned the idea due to Singapore’s stringent gun control laws. He also considered assembling a bomb but abandoned this plan because of insufficient funds. Authorities noted that he idolised mass shooters and was an avid player of first-person shooter video games on the online platform Roblox.

The 19-year-old tertiary student reportedly intended to carry out knife attacks targeting soldiers stationed at an air base as well as students at his educational institution. The ISD did not provide further details about the nature or timing of these plans.

The third individual, a 15-year-old boy, was identified to be in the early stages of plotting a bomb attack, though no specific targets or timelines were disclosed.

Singapore has long maintained robust counterterrorism and internal security protocols, emphasizing prevention and early intervention to mitigate threats. The ISD’s recent announcements underscore emerging concerns about radicalisation reaching younger demographics via online avenues.

Officials have not provided additional information on possible motivations or affiliations related to the suspects, focusing instead on the methods and risk posed by self-radicalised individuals.

The arrests serve as a reminder of continuing challenges faced by security agencies in monitoring and countering extremist content and influences that proliferate in digital spaces, potentially inspiring vulnerable youths to contemplate acts of violence.