A 26-year-old Indian-origin man is facing serious charges in Singapore after making a hoax bomb threat at a church, forcing the cancellation of all Sunday services. Kokulananthan Mohan allegedly planted fake explosive devices at St Joseph’s Church in the upscale Upper Bukit Timah area, sparking a swift police response.
Authorities arrested him under Regulation 8(2)(a) of the United Nations (Anti-terrorism Measures) Regulations, Channel Asia reported.
Court documents reveal he placed three cardboard rolls, packed with stone pebbles, fake red wires sticking out, and wrapped in black and yellow tape, inside the church around 7:11 am on Sunday. The setup aimed to trick people into believing the items could explode and would cause injuries to people at the church or wreck property.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the man had allegedly staged the incident by placing a self-fabricated item which resembled an improvised explosive device within the church premises,” the Singapore Police Force stated Monday. They stressed he likely acted alone, with no signs of religious motives or real terrorism.
“He is believed to have acted alone, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror.”
Police remanded Kokulananthan for three weeks for psychiatric evaluation. He’ll return to court on January 12, the Channel reported.
During the hearing, the prosecution sought to have him remanded for a medical evaluation. Upon knowing this, he blamed a “miscommunication,” noting his prior hospital visit stemmed from alcohol issues, and that the current issue was resolved.
The judge, however, pushed for the mental health check due to his odd behaviour during arrest,which he countered was just “lack of sleep” from night shifts. The judge urged him to explain that to the psychiatrist.
A conviction could land him up to 10 years in jail, a fine of SGD 500,000 (about USD 386,757), or both.
