Date : 2 May 2011
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was reported to have been killed by the US in a targeted operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan (a town about 50 km northeast of the capital Islamabad) on 1 May 2011. Osama was apparently killed in a fire fight, along with 3 other men (one of whom was one of Osama bin Laden’s sons) and one woman who was used as "a shield". US President Barack Obama has said that the event was "the most significant achievement to-date" in the US effort to defeat Al-Qaeda but it has also raised fears of retaliatory attacks. The US has reportedly put its embassies around the world on alert and has warned Americans of the possibility of Al-Qaeda reprisal attacks.
While the death of Osama bin Laden is a blow to Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, the fact is that Al-Qaeda Core has mainly played the role of providing ideological inspiration to jihadist terrorists in recent years. The threat comes from a multi headed hydra. One , very important head has been cut off. But others are still very much alive, all around the world. It has been the affiliates of Al-Qaeda that have been at the forefront of operational terrorist activities, such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which was responsible for the attempted Detroit airliner bombing of Christmas 2009 and the foiled printer cartridge bomb plot of Oct 2010. The affiliates largely operate independently of Al-Qaeda Core. Therefore the death of Osama bin Laden will not adversely affect their ability to perpetrate terrorist attacks. Likewise with jihadist groups that have drawn inspiration from Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden’s global jihad ideology, they will continue to function and operate in spite of Osama’s demise.
Osama’s killing by the US can be expected to draw retaliatory attacks from jihadist terrorists from/close to Al-Qaeda Core and other jihadist terrorists who are keen to avenge his death. To this end, the possibility that regional groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda, like Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), may carry out retaliatory attacks against US assets in this region (including those in Singapore) and against allies of the US, and countries seen to be close to the US, cannot be discounted. In view of the recent evidence that JI-related terrorist elements in Indonesia and this region pose an active and persistent threat, ( including the finding of large bombs in Indonesia, on Good Friday and grenades in KL a couple of weeks ago), it would be prudent to for us to be extra vigilant to guard against this threat. Other governments have also announced tighter security measures.
The following security measures have been taken in Singapore:
- security measures at the borders and checkpoints have been heightened, to guard against the entry of terrorist operatives, as well regional elements affiliated with Al-Qaeda; and
- security presence/alert level has been increased within Singapore at key establishments. The situation will be kept under review.
Ministry of Home Affairs
02 May 2011