Singapore Heightens Security over Terrorist Threat

Singapore reportedly raised its security alert and heightened its defenses Friday after receiving information of a terrorist plot to attack vessels off the coast of the city-state in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

According to the Associated Press, Malaysia and Indonesia have also stepped up maritime and air patrols in the Malacca Strait, where millions of barrels of oil pass daily.  Singapore’s navy is warning that a terrorist group (but they’re not saying which one) is or was planning attacks on oil tankers and other vessels.  This has all prompted increased security at border crossings, airports, sea ports, and at high-risk targets such as two new casino resorts.

John Harrison, terrorism expert and assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told the Associated Press that al-Qaida and the Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (blamed for twin bombings last year on hotels in Jakarta) would be the most likely to carry out such an attack.