Faishal Ibrahim on 'suspicious' parcel at Serangoon mosque: S'pore mosques remain safe spaces for worship

On Sep. 24 at around 5:20pm, the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to a "suspicious" parcel that was delivered to the Al-Istiqamah Mosque.

The mosque was evacuated as a precautionary measure, and SCDF HazMat Specialists later confirmed that no hazardous substances were found in the premises.

One person was assessed for breathlessness and sent to Sengkang General Hospital.

Mosque staff will receive support

In a late night doorstop conducted outside the mosque at 2 Serangoon North Avenue 2, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim urged the public to remain calm, stay alert and avoid spreading misinformation while investigations are ongoing.

He shared that he had spoken to staff from the mosque, who said they are "doing ok".

These staff will receive the necessary support and assistance following the incident.

When asked if the affected person's breathlessness was related to the parcel, Faishal said that he was "not sure", and would wait for the investigations to be concluded.

"We are monitoring the situation, asking her about her well-being. We hope she's okay, and in fact, after this, I'll be visiting her to just see how she's doing."

Faishal also added that "we do not take racial and religious matters lightly", and assured members of the public that Singapore's mosques "remain safe spaces for worship for our community".

The Al-Istiqamah Mosque will operate as per usual following this, and prayers will resume tomorrow morning, he noted.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has previously stated that it is working closely with the authorities on this matter.

Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC Kenneth Tiong also thanked the mosque staff and authorities for their quick response in a Facebook post.