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NOPE
High reported severity Involving minors Regulatory Action

Singapore Far-Right Teen Plot (AI Chatbot Ammunition Search)

Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD) says a 17-year-old far-right extremist supporter, detained under the Internal Security Act in March 2025 after preparing shooting attacks on Muslims at mosques in Singapore, had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition and considered 3D printing his own firearms. The chatbot is not named, and what it replied is not reported.

AI system
Unidentified chatbot
Unknown
Occurred
Mar 2025
Reported
2 April 2025
Event location
Singapore
What the AI did
Communicated with the person
Reported harm
Legal HarmLoss of Liberty
Whose AI use
Their own AI use
Setting
Justice
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution unclear · 3 sources, 1 underlying account
6 claims: 1 documented, 5 reported. 3 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: AI chatbot (unspecified)

What Happened

According to Singapore's Internal Security Department (ISD), a 17-year-old Singaporean was radicalised from 2022 after encountering Islamophobic and far-right extremist material online. By June 2024 he had shortlisted five mosques in Singapore as targets for shooting attacks on Muslims, and he made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain a gun. The ISD says he admitted at his arrest that he had not carried out the attacks only because he could not procure a gun.

In its July 2025 threat assessment report, the ISD says he had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition and considered 3D printing his own firearms for his attack plans. Its April 2025 press release, which does not mention the chatbot, says a US-based online contact had suggested 3D printing gun parts and ammunition and that he did not follow through because of the cost and technical feasibility.

He was detained under the Internal Security Act in March 2025. The ISD identified him while investigating an online contact of his, an 18-year-old detained in December 2024. No inspected source names the chatbot, gives the date of the search or says what the chatbot replied. The ISD report cites the case as part of an emerging trend while stating there is no indication that AI and 3D printing have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore.

AI Behaviors Exhibited

  • The ISD says the teenager searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition.
  • What the chatbot replied, including whether it supplied instructions or refused, is not stated in any inspected source.

Reported harm

The ISD says a 17-year-old who had prepared shooting attacks on mosques and had searched an AI chatbot for instructions on producing ammunition was detained under Singapore's Internal Security Act in March 2025.

How Harm Occurred

The ISD's July 2025 report places the teenager's chatbot search for ammunition-production instructions among his attack plans, and the ISD's page announcing the report describes AI as an emerging terrorism enabler for, among other uses, planning and developing attacks. The same report says there is no indication that AI and 3D printing have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore. The inspected record does not establish that the chatbot supplied usable instructions or advanced his capability.

Outcome

Unknown

March 2025: an Order of Detention under the Internal Security Act was issued against the 17-year-old, which the ISD announced on 2 April 2025. The ISD says he was identified during its investigation of an 18-year-old far-right extremist detained in December 2024, of whom he was an online contact.

29 July 2025: the ISD's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025 cited his case as an example of evolving technologies featuring in youth self-radicalisation cases: he had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition and considered 3D printing his own firearms. The same report says there is no indication that technologies such as AI and 3D printing have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore.

What remains unknown

  • Which AI chatbot the teenager used, when he searched it, and what it replied, including whether it supplied usable ammunition instructions or refused.
  • Whether the detention order remains in force; no later ISD update on this youth was inspected.
  • No inspected source states where the teenager used the AI chatbot; event_countries rests on the location of the planned attacks.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. The ISD's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025 states that the 17-year-old far-right extremist supporter detained in March 2025 had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition. The ISD press release of 2 April 2025 that announced his detention does not mention the chatbot. No inspected source names the chatbot or says what it replied, and the report also says there is no indication that AI has been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore.

6 claims: 1 documented, 5 reported. What the statuses mean

Documented In March 2025 a 17-year-old Singaporean was issued an Order of Detention under the Internal Security Act, which the ISD announced on 2 April 2025.

Causal attribution. The ISD release is the official announcement of the order. The order was issued for his attack preparations; no source attributes the detention to his chatbot use.

  • isd.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'In February and March 2025, two self-radicalised Singaporean youths, aged 15 and 17, were issued with a Restriction Order and an Order of Detention under the Internal Security Act respectively'; '2 April 2025'
  • isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'were detained in December 2024 and March 2025, respectively'; 'FRE supporter detained in March 2025'
Reported The ISD says the 17-year-old had been radicalised by far-right extremist and racist ideologies, shortlisted five mosques in Singapore as targets for shooting attacks on Muslims, made several unsuccessful attempts to procure a gun, and admitted at his arrest that he had not carried out the attacks only because he was unable to procure a gun.

Causal attribution. The ISD's account of its investigation and of his statements. No court has tested it; the detention is an executive order.

  • isd.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'had been radicalised by violent far-right extremist and racist ideologies and had taken steps in preparation for attacks against Muslims at mosques in Singapore'; 'he made multiple unsuccessful attempts to procure a gun'; 'the youth shortlisted five mosques'; 'he had yet to execute his attacks only because he was unable to procure a gun'
  • isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'had made extensive preparations to conduct shootings against Muslims at five mosques in Singapore'
Reported The ISD's 2025 threat assessment report says the 17-year-old had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition and considered 3D printing his own firearms for his local attack plans.

Causal attribution. The report states the search, not its result. It does not name the chatbot, date the search or say what the chatbot replied, so whether the chatbot supplied instructions is not established.

  • isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'FRE supporter detained in March 2025, he had searched for instructions on an AI chatbot about producing ammunition, and considered 3D printing his own firearms for his local attack plans'
Reported The ISD press release says a US-based online contact who claimed to be a gun maker suggested 3D printing gun parts and ammunition, and that the youth did not follow through because of the cost and technical feasibility.

Causal attribution. The ISD's account. This passage does not involve the AI chatbot.

  • isd.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'he reached out to a US-based online contact who claimed to be a gun maker'; 'suggested 3D printing the gun parts and ammunition instead'; 'the youth did not follow through with the idea due to the cost and technical feasibility'
Reported The ISD report cites the case as part of an emerging trend of evolving technologies in youth self-radicalisation cases, while stating that there is no indication that technologies such as AI and 3D printing have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore.

Causal attribution. The ISD's assessment of a trend; it does not attribute the attack plan to the chatbot.

  • isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'Even though there is no indication that evolving technologies, such as AI and 3D printing, have been used in any terrorist attack plot in Singapore, we are seeing an emerging trend of evolving technologies featuring in local youth self-radicalisation cases'
  • isd.gov.sg(opens in new tab) context · English
    'Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a terrorism enabler for'
Reported The ISD says it identified the 17-year-old during its investigation of an 18-year-old far-right extremist detained in December 2024, of whom he was an online contact.

Causal attribution. The ISD's account of how he came to its attention; the chatbot use played no reported part.

Sources

3 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

ISD landing page for the Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025, dated 29 July 2025, read live in English on 2026-10-03 and 2026-10-04 (HTTP 200). It summarises the report and links the PDF; it does not describe this case. Applies to s1.

Report PDF (14.9 MB) read on 2026-10-03 through pdftotext; HTTP 200 and the same size re-checked on 2026-10-04. The text is English although the PDF language tag says ar-SA. Line wrapping in the extracted text joins '17-year-old' as '17-yearold' in one passage. Applies to s2.

ISD press release of 2 April 2025, read live in English on 2026-10-03 and 2026-10-04 (HTTP 200). It announced the Order of Detention. It does not mention the AI chatbot in this youth's case; the chatbot it mentions concerns a 15-year-old in the same release. Applies to s3.

Event countries: Singapore. Affected-person countries: Singapore. Court countries: Unknown.

Carried forward from the metadata review of 2026-10-03 and re-checked on 2026-10-04. The ISD press release says he had taken steps in preparation for attacks against Muslims at mosques in Singapore and frequented the Jurong West area, and the report describes preparations for shootings at five mosques in Singapore. event_countries describes the attack preparations; no source says where he used the chatbot. The Order of Detention under the Internal Security Act is an executive order and no court proceeding is reported, so court_countries is empty. Countries of his online contacts and of places he considered buying guns are not event locations.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-04: Full review on 2026-10-04 of a legacy row against the ISD's Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2025 (landing page and PDF) and its press release of 2 April 2025, all official records read in English. The chatbot detail rests on the July 2025 report alone. A previously cited The Print item could not be read and was removed. Prose stating that the chatbot provided instructions was corrected because no inspected source says what the chatbot replied.

Contributing Factors

far right extremismonline radicalizationminor perpetratortechnical knowledge seekinglone wolf terrorism

People described

A 17-year-old Singaporean who used an AI chatbot and was detained under the Internal Security Act. The planned attacks on Muslims at mosques in Singapore were not carried out. Not identified here.

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

1 AI participant · 0 other people harmed

The ISD records one detained 17-year-old who used an AI chatbot. The planned attacks were not carried out, so the people at the mosques are intended targets and are not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#terrorism#far-right#radicalization#singapore#firearms#ammunition#3d-printing#foiled-plot#ai-chatbot

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Singapore Far-Right Teen Plot (AI Chatbot Ammunition Search). AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-singapore-far-right-teen-ai-firearms

BibTeX

@misc{2025_singapore_far_right_teen_ai_firearms,
  title = {Singapore Far-Right Teen Plot (AI Chatbot Ammunition Search)},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-singapore-far-right-teen-ai-firearms}
}

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