An Indian-origin Singaporean national is now facing up to ten years in prison after he reportedly caused an alarm over a bomb threat to a church. The man reportedly made an IED lookalike using wires, stones and tape and left it inside the place of worship, reports said.
The accused has been identified as 26-year-old Kokulananthan Mohan. Singaporean investigators learnt that Kokulananthan allegedly filled three cardboard rolls with pebbles before fitting red wires to their fringes and surmounting them with black and yellow adhesive tape. He then left the fake "bomb" inside St Joseph's Church in the Upper Bukit Timah area on Sunday morning, reports said.
The youngster was done with his vile deed by around 7:10 am, and the entire Sunday service was called off as a consequence of his actions, reports said. However, the picture became clear soon after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) began a probe. They now believe Kokulananthan Mohan intended to make churchgoers believe the box could explode or ignite, potentially causing injury or property damage. The accused reportedly told the police that he was working night shifts and his behaviour was influenced by a "lack of sleep".
"Preliminary investigations suggest that the man had allegedly staged the incident by placing a self-fabricated item which resembled an improvised explosive device within the church premises," news agency PTI quoted the SPF as saying in a statement on Monday. "He is believed to have acted alone, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that it was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror," it added.
What next for the accused?
He was remanded for three weeks for psychiatric evaluation and will return to court on 12 January, according to the Channel report. When informed that the prosecution sought to have him remanded for medical evaluation, Kokulananthan initially said there was a "miscommunication" as his previous admission to the hospital was alcohol-related and that issue had been resolved. The judge said that the psychiatric evaluation requested was in view of the investigation officer's observations of Kokulananthan's conduct and behaviour during the arrest and police operations, a PTI report said.
If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years' jail, a fine of up to SGD 500,000 (Rs 3,46,65,885.00), or both.
