If you recall, earlier this year on January 14, Sze Kai Xuan posted this message on social media: ‘Today is the day everyone, cherish it before I bomb city hall.’ As his post caught on like wildfire, alarmed members of the public alerted the police and officers were dispatched to conduct checks and carry out foot patrols at numerous MRT stations. Many officers even had to put aside their original shift work, which affected their daily patrol schedules.
Because of his false threat, the 23-year-old former marketing executive was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for wasting resources, according to TODAY. The Public Transport Security Command had activated 95 percent of its resources to 18 MRT stations along three lines, and Sze’s actions resulted in disrupting the provision of emergency services.
This bomb threat, combined with the Jakarta bombings that killed four civilians on the same day, had put the local police force on heightened alert — but it all turned out to be for nothing.
Based on a psychiatric assessment in October, Sze was found to have no mental disorder, but had experienced a momentary psychological breakdown and lost control of his emotion. He confessed that he sent out the fake threat to get attention as he was upset at his longer academic route compared to those who did not have to serve National Service.
Sze is currently out on bail and is appealing against the sentence.
