S'pore man, 35, sends fake image of MBS on fire to SM Lee's Facebook page as prank, faces jail time

A 35-year-old Singaporean man came across a fake photo of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on fire and decided to send it to the Facebook page of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, along with a message containing the word "bomb".

An administrator of SM Lee's Facebook page lodged a police report, and the man was eventually apprehended.

CNA reported that the man, Andie Tan Kok Yong, pleaded guilty in court on Jun. 18 and is awaiting sentencing.

He was charged with transmitting a message which he knew to be false and for obstructing the course of justice by performing a factory reset on his phone after sending the Facebook message.

"Bomb $1,500billion++wit management approved of 1st boss not merlion boss of tan jun yan"

According to court documents, while on Facebook, Tan chanced upon the fake image on Sep. 29, 2025.

Tan saved the image on his phone and sent it to SM Lee's official Facebook page via Facebook Messenger.

He sent the message on Sep. 29 at about 2:57pm, along with the message: "Bomb $1,500billion++wit management approved of 1st boss not merlion boss of tan jun yan".

He did so knowing the image was fake and in order to prank SM Lee, court documents stated.

Police told MBS to step up security

An administrator monitoring SM Lee's official Facebook page saw the image and message.

He took a screenshot of them and lodged a police report.

The police later informed the security at MBS to step up security patrols.

They eventually traced Tan as the culprit.

When questioned by the police, Tan admitted that he was the one who sent the image and message.

According to charge sheets, Tan had also performed a factory reset on his phone sometime between September 2025 and December 2025, after sending the offending image and message.

Prosecution sought four to eight weeks' jail

For knowingly transmitting a false or fabricated message, Tan, if found guilty, is liable to a fine of S$10,000 or to a jail term not exceeding three years, or both.

The prosecution sought at least four to eight weeks' imprisonment.

In his submission, Deputy Public Prosecutor Andrew Chia wrote that Tan had essentially perpetuated a bomb hoax against a high-value target.

He also noted that Tan's message, while not particularly credible, did cause concern and resulted in actions being taken by the police and MBS.

Tan will be sentenced at a later date, CNA wrote.