The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on May 18 that they will step up security measures, including at Singapore checkpoints, in light of the Ulu Tiram police station attack.

Two police officers in Johor, Malaysia were killed in the attack, which happened on May 17 at around 2:45am.

The suspect was initially believed to be a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, but police investigations later found that he had acted alone and was driven by his own motivations and understanding.

MHA and Home Team Departments have been monitoring global and regional security developments closely, and the Internal Security Department (ISD) has been in touch with its Malaysian counterparts about the attack.

"In view of the heightened threat situation, and that the Malaysian police are looking for several other JI members, we had earlier today stepped up security measures, including at our checkpoints," the ministry said.

Heightened measures

The measures at the checkpoints include increased patrols and enhanced checks on travellers and conveyances.

As such, travellers can expect delays at the checkpoints due to the enhanced checks, and should factor in additional time needed for immigration clearance.

Stay vigilant

Members of the public are also reminded to stay vigilant and report any suspicious persons or activities to the police immediately.

If caught in an attack, one is advised to "Run, Hide and Tell" the police as soon as possible.

In addition, members of the public should contact the ISD at 1800-2626-473 if they know a person who shows signs of radicalisation, said MHA.

"Early reporting will allow ISD and its partners to help the individual in a timely manner and prevent the person from harming themselves and others."

No Singaporeans detained

Early reports of the incident claimed that a Singaporean was amongst the seven individuals detained in connection to the attack.

However, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain later confirmed that all the detainees were Malaysians.

A 21-year-old male was suspected to have executed the attack.

The 65-year-old mother of the suspect initially claimed that she was Singaporean.

However, criminal defence lawyer Muhammad Zahier Rosli from the National Legal Aid Foundation told CNA that this could not be verified as she did not have an identity card on hand.

The seven individuals have been remanded for seven days until May 24 to assist in investigations into the attack.

The individuals placed under remand include five members of the suspect's family aged 19 to 62.

The remaining two out of the seven individuals were two students from higher learning institutions who are believed to have a connection with the incident.

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