In a Facebook post on Dec 21, the police said that they were alerted to an incident at 620 Upper Bukit Timah at 7.10am. - ST
SINGAPORE: St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah was evacuated after a suspicious item was found on Sunday (Dec 21) morning.
In a Facebook post on Dec 21, the police said that they were alerted to an incident at 620 Upper Bukit Timah at 7.10am.
The police said that officers are at the scene attending to the incident.
In an update, the police said that they have secured the area and the church has been evacuated while police operations are ongoing.
It added that it has activated the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group to support police operations.
It also advised members of the public to avoid the location.
When ST arrived at the church just before 9am, police officers were at the entrance directing vehicles away. No one was allowed to enter the premises.
An ambulance entering the premises on Dec 21. The police said that officers are at the scene attending to the incident.
Police directing traffic away from the St Joseph’s Church on Dec 21. - ST
Church volunteers were spotted at the gate and a bus stop nearby advising would-be attendees that mass was cancelled.
They could also be heard redirecting congregants to St Mary’s of the Angels Church in Bukit Batok.
At 9.17am, several police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles were seen entering the church premises, along with plainclothes officers.
A check on the church’s website showed that mass services at 7.30am, 9.30am and 11.30am on Dec 21 have been cancelled till further notice.
A churchgoer told ST that the incident happened at about 7.20am before Chinese mass at 7.30am. He said that someone had found an unattended bag.
A message seen by ST that was shared by church members stated a suspicious item had been found at the back of the church, leading to it being cordoned off.
Commenting on the incident in a Facebook post, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Dinesh Vasu Dash called for the public to stay calm and united as a community.
Echoing the same sentiments, Mayor of North West district Alex Yam cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
“This is not the first time the St Joseph community has faced an incident, and each time, the church and the wider community have emerged stronger, more united, and more resilient,” he said in a Facebook post.
“It is right and prudent to take precautions and to follow the instructions of the authorities, but we should not allow fear to consume or possess us.”
Father Christopher Lee, the church’s priest, said in a message to congregants to proceed to other churches for mass and apologised for any inconvenience.
In November 2024, Father Lee was stabbed by a knife-wielding man while he was conducting evening mass at the church.
Church volunteers telling attendees that mass would be cancelled on Dec 21.
The assailant, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, was disarmed by members of the congregation and subsequently arrested by police officers. The police ruled out the attack as an act of terrorism and the man was believed to have acted alone based on preliminary investigations.
In September, the Al-Istiqamah Mosque in Serangoon North was evacuated after a suspicious parcel was delivered to its premises.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam later revealed that the parcel contained meat that appeared to be pork.
He said that regardless of the parcel’s contents, the act was inflammatory, and investigations were ongoing. He said the police had also stepped up visits to mosques and will continue to do so after similar incidents have happened very recently at other mosques around Singapore.
Shanmugam also referred to the 2024 church stabbing incident, and cautioned against turning places of worship into fortresses.
He said: “They are open places. Open to the public. Police will act based on intelligence, and places of worship also have their own security arrangements. Police have advised them on what kind of arrangements they ought to make.”
The police requested those with information to call 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. - The Straits Times/ANN
