SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): “Terrorists” struck Raffles Place MRT station and took people “hostage” on Wednesday (May 24) morning, in a simulated attack featuring two emergency scenarios and involving more than 250 personnel.
As police officers yelled at one of the “assailants” to drop his knife, the man unzipped his jacket to reveal an even deadlier weapon – a “bomb” strapped to his chest.
This was one of the scenarios in Exercise Ferrovia, a counter-terrorism exercise where the authorities showed how they deal with such attacks.
Ferrovia means “railroad” in Italian and the exercise was organised by the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
More than 250 personnel from the police, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT Trains took part. This made it the largest anti-terror exercise at an MRT station, said an SPF spokesman.
During the exercise after midnight on Wednesday, journalists saw how the usually serene station turned chaotic. It started with people screaming and running up the escalators, fleeing from “terrorists” on the station platform.
The four assailants had arrived at Raffles Place via train from Marina South Pier MRT station.
As police officers “shot” one suspect, another “terrorist” slashed some people with a knife.
As he shouted threats, a team of police officers charged into the station and “shot” him.
The two remaining men – one of them a “suicide bomber” – took “commuters” hostage at another part of the station.
Members of the Gurkha Contingent flanked the suspects for a clear shot. Within minutes, they “shot” both men.
SCDF officers then rushed in with stretchers, carrying “injured” people to safety.
In another scenario, a man left a black suitcase at Raffles Xchange, an underground shopping mall linked to the station.
It was flagged as a suspicious item by SMRT’s new iSecurity system, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect unusual situations, such as unattended objects and running crowds.
Police K-9 dogs sniffed the suitcase, prompting officers and station staff to evacuate the area. Minutes later, the “bomb” exploded in a burst of white smoke.
Describing the iSecurity system, Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains, said that with maturing technologies in AI, it was timely to use them to strengthen the security of Singapore’s MRT network.
He said SMRT has been exploring the new technology but did not say when it would be rolled out.
Exercise Ferrovia took place nine weeks after Exercise Northstar XI, a national-level exercise held on Jurong Island on March 22 to test the readiness of government agencies in the event of major crises there.
In July 2022, the Internal Security Department said in an assessment report that the terrorism threat to Singapore remained high, as the country continued to feature in extremist propaganda.
The report said that with international travel resuming after Covid-19, terror plots that were put on hold may restart.
The public transport network is a prime target for terrorists, said Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Masagoes Idris Hussain, Commander of the Public Transport Security Command.
He said: “Exercise Ferrovia allowed the Home Team agencies to work with LTA and the public transport operators to... strengthen our coordination to respond effectively in times of emergencies.”
In March 2004, four commuter trains were bombed in Madrid, Spain, killing 193 people and injuring around 2,000. All the bombs were believed to have been hidden inside backpacks.
In July 2005, terrorists detonated four homemade bombs on London Underground trains and a double-decker bus during the morning rush hour. A total of 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured.
In 2006, seven bombs in pressure cookers ripped through suburban trains in Mumbai, India, killing 209 people and injuring over 700.
The police said that if members of the public are caught in a terror attack, they should run away from danger, but if they are unable to escape, they should hide and stay out of sight.
When it is safe to do so, the public can call, text or use the SGSecure app to alert the authorities.
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