Former full-time national serviceman Amirull Ali, 20, was He planned to stab Jewish men detained by the Internal Security Department (ISD) last Friday. as they left the Here are details of how he became radicalised and his plans.

• Amirull’s interest in the Israel-Palestine con ict started after he 2014 viewed a video showing Palestinian civilians being bombed by Aug to Oct 2019 Israeli ghter jets. • Amirull made at least two reconnaissance trips to • He was careful not to take • He researched the con ict online, was convinced Israel was the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in Waterloo Street photographs to avoid attracting oppressing , and his hatred for the country deepened. and identied a suitable spot along the exterior wall security attention. Instead, he of its compound from where he could ambush his downloaded an online picture victims as they left the place of worship. (below) of the building. Mediterranean Sea GAZA 3 ISRAEL EGYPT Rafah border crossing

Canada Cairo Aug 2019 EGYPT 2 • He began making preparations for the attack. He planned to use a Smith & Wesson 1 knife that he had bought in 2016 for his SINGAPOREmid-2018 scouting activities. • Amirull planned to carry out his attack on a Saturday, after Jewish congregational prayers. • His goal was to kill three Jewish males. He assumed they He read a book glorifying the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades would have served national service in Israel and hence had • • He also downloaded an image of the carried out alleged atrocities against Palestinians. (AQB), the military wing of , and wanted to become a human vascular system, and decided 2015 He also intended to conceal his face with a white ghter in Gaza. to target the mid-section as the best • kefyeh (scarf), pull his targets by the right shoulder and place to stab his intended victims as it stab them in the mid-section before eeing. would cause a quick death from • He met a foreigner in and discussed his intention to massive bleeding. • He would then post a manifesto online, to incite all 2018 travel to Palestine to join AQB. oppressed people to mount attacks against tyrannical • He was encouraged to do so, and was told he would become a regimes using “any means necessary”, including martyr if he died ghting against enemies of Islam on the battleeld. assassination and “vigilante justice”. Mid-2018 Oct 2019 • Amirull made preparations to travel to Gaza to take up arms alongside AQB. • Amirull had second thoughts about his attack plan, and was concerned • He planned to y to Cairo and travel through the Rafah border crossing, and from he would not attain martyrdom should he be arrested and mid-2020 he constructed a replica AK-47 ri e from wood and plastic for practice. sentenced to death after the attack. • In his mind, he could achieve martyrdom only by ghting in an actual battleeld in Gaza. Dec 2020 • He revisited his attack plan when he became enraged by an online video about the killing of an unarmed autistic Palestinian man by Israeli forces, which had been uploaded on YouTube in June 2020 by TRT World.

• He planned to travel abroad after completing full-time NS later this year, and when he had saved enough funds by working as a chef. July 2019 Mid-section • He then made a replica • Amirull considered mounting the knife to practise stabbing attack on Christmas Day, and planned motions and grip to wear a black ski mask that he had techniques at home, to bought in March 2020, as he had seen avoid damaging the actual AQB ghters wearing similar masks. knife or injuring himself. • However, he shelved his plans again as he had doubts over attaining martyrdom in this manner.

Early 2021 • The Ministry of Defence • He was arrested under the • As he was assessed alerted ISD that Amirull, who Internal Security Act (ISA) on Feb 5, to pose an imminent • Amirull watched a CNA documentary on the Jewish community was serving his full-time NS and investigations indicated he security threat eager in Singapore and was enraged that were thriving peacefully as an administrative support acted alone and had not tried to to engage in violence, here while Palestinians were suffering overseas. assistant, could have been in uence or involve others. His he was issued a • He decided then that he would conduct an attack against radicalised by extremist immediate family and friends were detention order under Jews at a synagogue. ideologies. also not aware of his attack plans. the ISA on March 5.

Source: INTERNAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT PHOTOS: INTERNAL SECURITY DEPARTMENT STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS