New laws passed in Parliament today enforce a mandatory death penalty for anyone guilty of committing a fatal act of terrorism via radioactive material or nuclear explosive devices, Channel NewsAsia reports.
Essentially, the penalties are pegged at the same level as the offence of murder in the Penal Code — should death be caused, the convicted party will be sentenced to hang or spend life in prison.
Second Minister of Home Affairs Desmond Lee cited the regional threat posed by the Islamic State as an example of why Singapore should be wary of nuclear terrorism in Southeast Asia.
Just north of the border, eight people were arrested by Malaysian authorities in February for their connection to the theft of Iridium-92, a radioactive material. It could potentially be used in dirty bombs to spread radioactive material over a wide area.
“It is timely we put in place the necessary legal framework now and join the international community to combat terrorism in all its forms — including nuclear terrorism,” stated Lee.
The new laws also include extra-territorial jurisdiction, where any non-Singaporean individual who commits an act constituted as a nuclear terrorism offence here will still be charged, tried and punished accordingly.
With the new laws, it is now a criminal offence to intentionally and unlawfully use any radioactive material or nuclear explosive device, or use or damage a nuclear facility leading to the release of radioactive material in an act of terror.
The minister assured that Singapore has developed the necessary operational capabilities to deal with the unlawful use of nuclear and radioactive material.
