Update (Sept 27) : A Singaporean man, Bill Tan Keng Hwee, 61, was charged in a district court on Sept 27 for allegedly mailing a parcel containing pork to Masjid Al-Istiqamah at 2 Serangoon North Avenue 2.
Court documents revealed the envelope also contained a note that read “halal BaBi chop.”
The discovery on Sept 24 led to the evacuation of several people from the mosque, and a woman was taken to hospital for breathlessness.
The police prosecutor requested that Tan be remanded for a week for further investigations. Appearing via video link, Tan asked the judge if he could wear a mask if taken out for investigations.
The judge replied: “That will be for the investigation officer to decide.”
WHAT HAPPENED :
Singapore police have arrested a 61-year-old Chinese man suspected of sending a parcel with the intent of offending racial and religious sensitivities.
In a statement on Sept 27, the police said they were alerted on Sept 24 at about 5.20pm to a suspicious delivery made to a mosque at 2 Serangoon North Avenue 2.
Inside the parcel was a piece of pork.
While the mosque was not named in the statement, media outlets earlier identified it as Al-Istiqamah Mosque.
The suspect was arrested on Sept 25, according to ST.
Officers from Bedok Police Division and the Criminal Investigation Department managed to trace him through ground investigations and images captured by police cameras.
Preliminary findings suggest the man may also be linked to other similar cases involving parcels sent to several mosques across Singapore.
He is scheduled to be charged in court on Sept 27 for the offence of deliberately intending to wound the racial feelings of a person. Under the law, this offence carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail, a fine, or both.
“The police take a very serious view of acts that threaten Singapore’s racial and religious harmony. Such behaviour will not be condoned, and offenders will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law,” the statement added.
Earlier this week, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam strongly condemned the act publicly. He said the parcel’s contents—meat that “appears to be pork”—make the act “obviously inflammatory” and stressed that sending such an item to a place of worship is “like playing with fire” in a multi-ethnic society.
He added that investigations are ongoing to confirm whether the meat is indeed pork, but regardless the action is “much worse” if it is. He also noted that this is not an isolated incident, with “other similar cases” involving meat sent to mosques under investigation.
Minister Shanmugam said the authorities are treating the matter very seriously and will act firmly against those responsible. He emphasized that places of worship must remain safe and respected, warning that if such acts are not checked, they could deepen distrust between communities.
Image for illustration
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