Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles seen at the St Joseph’s Church premises on Dec 21. - ST
SINGAPORE: A suspicious item found in St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah on the morning of Dec 21 is harmless and the situation is under control, said police.
In an update at 11.08am, the police said its officers and the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group (SAF CBRE) reached the conclusion after conducting thorough checks on the item.
Police operations are still ongoing and members of the public are advised to avoid the location until further notice.
Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles were spotted leaving the premises just after 11.30am.
In a Facebook post on Dec 21, the police said they were alerted to an incident at 620 Upper Bukit Timah at 7.10am.
They said that officers were at the scene attending to the incident.
In an update, they said they had secured the area and the church had been evacuated while police operations were ongoing.
When The Straits Times arrived at the church just before 9am, police officers were at the entrance directing vehicles away. No one was allowed to enter the premises.
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 the Church of St Mary of the Angels in Bukit Batok.
At 9.17am, several police and SCDF 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 before Chinese mass at 7.30am. He said that someone had found an unattended bag.
Commenting on the incident in a Facebook post, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said he was grateful to the SPF, SAF CBRE, SCDF for their quick, calm and resolute response. He also thanked church volunteers for their efforts.
“Will wait for further updates from the police and the church leadership on reopening,” said the Foreign Minister and MP for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC, where the church is located. “Was glad to meet Father Christopher Lee this morning - a real pillar of calm leadership, as always.”
In November 2024, Father Lee, the church’s priest, was stabbed by a knife-wielding man while he was conducting evening mass at the church.
In a message on Dec 21, Father Lee advised congregants to proceed to other churches for mass and apologised for any inconvenience.
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.”
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
