S'porean teen, 14, pledged allegiance to ISIS & urged others online to engage in armed violence

A 14-year-old Singaporean teenager was issued a Restriction Order (RO) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in November 2025.

According to a statement by the Internal Security Department (ISD), the Secondary Three student was found to have been self-radicalised online by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)'s extremist ideologies.

The youth was self-radicalised to the point he aspired to travel overseas to fight for ISIS and "die as a martyr".

Radicalised online

ISD shared that the youth's radicalisation started in early 2023, when he was 12 years old.

He came across an online video of ISIS fighters fighting against American soldiers in Iraq.

After watching the video, the youth began to view ISIS as "the defenders of the civilian population against American and Iraqi oppressors".

The youth continued to search for more information on ISIS, and online algorithms pushed more ISIS-related videos to his social media.

He also found a pro-ISIS website through social media and spent about nine hours a day consuming its content.

The youth became a staunch supporter of  ISIS and its cause to establish a global Islamic caliphate through violence by late 2023/early 2024.

In June 2024, the youth took a "bai'ah" (pledge of allegiance) to ISIS and considered himself an ISIS member.

Gameplay footage

As a show of his support for ISIS, the youth began posting pro-ISIS content on his social media accounts.

Such content included pro-ISIS videos he created using footage from his online gameplay on Roblox and Gorebox.

The youth would recreate ISIS attacks and executions on these platforms, and role-play as an ISIS fighter killing "disbelievers or enemies of ISIS".

While the youth felt that he was too young to take up arms for ISIS physically, he aspired to travel in about 10 years to Syria, Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq, or Bali to fight for ISIS and "die a martyr on the battlefield".

In preparation, the youth would practice close-quarter battle simulations at home for two hours a day with his toy AK-47 rifle.

He would role-play as an ISIS fighter attacking those he considered enemies of ISIS: the U.S. Army or the Israel Defense Forces.

The youth also went online to garner support for ISIS's cause and encourage others to engage in armed violence for ISIS.

He would create new social media accounts on numerous platforms and post at least one publicly accessible pro-ISIS video a day.

Some of these videos were created by the youth, using images of ISIS fighters, footage of them in battle and jihadist nasheeds (songs) that they found online.

In addition, the youth believed that members of the LGBTQ community should be killed after viewing materials on an ISIS-inspired shooting of the 2016 Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub.

He had thoughts to participate in an attack against the LGBTQ community in Singapore, using guns, if initiated by others.

Apart from ISIS, the youth was supportive of other Islamist terrorist groups and idolised terrorist personalities like Osama Bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, and the perpetrators of the 2002 Bali Bombings.

Continued concerns

"This case highlights why we continue to be concerned with youth radicalisation in Singapore, with a worrying trend of those radicalised getting younger," said ISD.

This is the third 14-year-old to be dealt with under the ISA over the past two years for terrorism-related activities.

The case also demonstrates the continued appeal of ISIS's violent ideologies in Singapore, ISD added.

Since 2020, ISD has dealt with nine self-radicalised Singaporeans under the ISA who were ISIS supporters, eight of them were aged 20 and younger.

ISD urged the public to seek help from the authorities early if they suspect somebody close to them might be radicalised.

ISD noted that the majority of youths investigated by ISD for radicalisation in recent years displayed early warning signs to their family and friends.

However, for this case, the youth's family and friends were aware of his extremist views and support for ISIS, but none of them reported him.

"It was fortunate that ISD detected him before he acted on his violent ideations."

Anyone who knows or suspects that a person has been radicalised, or is involved in terrorism-related activities, should promptly contact ISD at 1800-2626-473.

Updates on cases

ISD also provided updates on previous cases under ISA.

An 18-year-old Singaporean was released from detention with a Suspension Direction under the ISA in December 2025.

Previously, the teen was detained under the ISA at 15 years old in December 2022 as he was an Al-Qaeda and ISIS supporter who was prepared to engage in armed violence and martyrdom operations in Singapore or abroad.

He had also considered conducting attacks against non-Muslims in Singapore.

ISD said the teen made good progress in his rehabilitation and was assessed to no longer pose a security threat requiring preventive detention.

ROs issued against three Singaporeans were allowed to lapse upon their expiry, as they had made good progress in their rehabilitation and no longer required close supervision.

Top photos via ISD