Indonesia's counter-terrorism unit has arrested a man suspected of plotting a terror attack on the Singapore Exchange building in 2014.

According to Jakarta Globe the man, with the initials YLK, was arrested on Aug. 21, 2024. The Straits Times (ST) identified the man as "Yudi Lukito Kurniawan."

The Indonesian national was affiliated with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an extremist group active mainly in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

A spokesperson for the counter-terror unit, Aswin Siregar, said that Yudi claimed a senior AQAP member instructed him to carry out a terror attack on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

"In 2015, [Yudi] attempted to enter Singapore via sea but was rejected by Singaporean immigration and deported to Batam," Aswin added, reported Jakarta Globe.

Rejected from entering Singapore in 2015

Upon the arrest, the Indonesian officials seized evidence, including a pamphlet from a banned organisation, a passport, and an immigration document from Singapore, Jakarta Globe added.

ST said the immigration document seized was a document stating Singapore's refusal of entry to Yudi in 2015, and noting his ineligibility for entry under current immigration policies.

ST cited an anonymous source, purportedly close to the investigation, that they are developing a case to find out if the man was a key and crucial element in terror networks.

ST added that the Singapore attack plan was meant to be an indirect attack on the United States, as AQAP supposedly believes that Singapore is a "U.S. ally geographically closest to Indonesia."

Singapore is not a formal treaty ally of the U.S., and remains a Major Security Cooperation Partner.

Terrorism threat to Singapore remains high

The Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2024 stated that while there is no indication of an imminent attack, the terrorism threat to Singapore remains high.

Since July 2023, the Internal Security Department (ISD) has dealt with three self-radicalisation cases.

In addition, Islamist terrorism remains at the forefront of the global terrorism threat landscape, particularly the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISI). Al-Qaeda poses a "simmering threat".

On Jun. 30, the senior leadership of Al-Qaedea aligned Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) announced the group's dissolution. Several JI leaders declared that the JI would adhere to Indonesia's laws and remove extremist content from its teaching materials.

JI was the group that had perpetuated several terrorist attacks, most notably the 2002 Bali Bombing.

However, ISD warned that the terror threat posed by the JI remains as groups within the JI who disagree with their senior leaders may splinter and could turn to violence and carry out attacks.

Some JI members may also continue to propagate the group's ultimate ambition of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.

"The terrorism threat to Singapore is very real, and remains high. We continue to be viewed as an attractive target, and continue to detect self-radicalised individuals within our communities," ISD said.

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