Singapore’s ISD Says Radicalised People Can Look Completely ‘Normal’ — What Psychologists Found Makes the Threat Harder to Spot

SINGAPORE — There may be no obvious appearance, personality or behaviour that immediately identifies someone drifting toward violent extremism.

That is one of the lessons Singapore’s Internal Security Department psychologists say they have learned after working directly with people detained or restricted under the Internal Security Act.

An ISD intelligence psychologist identified publicly only as “Dave” said an encounter with a radicalised young person early in his career challenged his assumptions about what extremism would look like. The youth appeared strikingly ordinary in conversation and behaviour — a reminder, he said, that radicalisation can remain hidden even from people interacting regularly with the individual.

The experience ultimately changed how he viewed people drawn into extremist movements.

Rather than seeing every radicalised individual simply as an extremist beyond recovery, Dave said his work showed that some had been misled or manipulated into accepting dangerous ideologies. That, he argued, makes understanding the person’s circumstances, motivations and psychological vulnerabilities central to rehabilitation.

Why Singapore psychologists look beyond ideology

ISD psychologists do more than challenge extremist beliefs.

Their assessments examine factors that may have made a person vulnerable in the first place, including identity struggles, emotional regulation, coping abilities and susceptibility to manipulation. Rehabilitation programmes can therefore involve psychological counselling alongside ideological or religious guidance and support from families, schools and other institutions.

Another ISD psychologist, identified as “Cass”, described rehabilitation as a three-part process covering ideological, psychological and social factors.

That approach is deliberately individualised rather than relying on a single programme for everyone.

One case involved “Daniel”, a teenager detained in January 2020 at age 17 after becoming an ISIS supporter. Singapore authorities previously said he had been radicalised through an overseas online contact and had expressed willingness to assist ISIS activities. After undergoing rehabilitation involving psychological and religious counselling as well as broader support, he was released in January 2022 after authorities assessed that he had made significant progress.

Cass said the case demonstrated the importance of bringing together psychologists, case officers, religious counsellors, educators, mentors and family members instead of treating extremist ideology in isolation.

Youth radicalisation is becoming a bigger concern

The psychologists’ comments come as Singapore authorities warn that radicalisation among younger people is rising.

ISD’s Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2026, released on September 10, said the number of youth cases handled under the ISA has almost quadrupled — from four cases between 2017 and 2021 to 15 since 2022.

Six of the eight Singaporeans dealt with under the ISA since July 2025 were younger than 21. Seven of the eight were assessed as self-radicalised.

Three youths aged between 14 and 19 had also developed plans for attacks in Singapore and were close to carrying them out, according to ISD. One 14-year-old was only weeks away from a planned school attack when authorities intervened.

Singapore’s terrorism threat nevertheless needs to be described carefully: ISD says the overall threat remains high, but authorities have not reported specific intelligence indicating an imminent terrorist attack on Singapore.

Online extremism is changing the pathway

Authorities are particularly concerned about how quickly extremist content can reach young people through social media, online communities and gaming platforms.

ISD said repeated exposure to violent extremist material can reinforce radical beliefs and create ideological echo chambers. Gaming environments can also be used to simulate terrorist attacks or mass shootings, potentially normalising violence among vulnerable users.

A newer challenge is what authorities call Composite Violent Extremism, or CoVE — sometimes described as “salad bar” extremism.

Instead of following one coherent ideology, individuals may combine pieces of several movements, even when the beliefs contradict one another. Singapore’s first three CoVE cases dealt with under the ISA involved people younger than 21 and incorporated influences ranging from far-right and far-left extremism to antisemitism, incel ideology, racial supremacy and accelerationism.

That makes radicalisation increasingly difficult to fit into the traditional categories security agencies once relied upon.

Rehabilitation remains part of Singapore’s strategy

Singapore’s approach therefore combines security intervention with attempts to rehabilitate individuals considered capable of changing.

AsiaOne, citing ISD figures, reported that more than 80 per cent of Singaporeans detained under the ISA since 2002 have eventually been released after authorities determined they had made sufficient rehabilitation progress.

Psychologists also work outside detention cases.

ISD specialists train mental-health practitioners to recognise potential vulnerabilities and warning signs so individuals can receive help before their radicalisation becomes more severe. Official guidance says people showing early signs may sometimes be referred for counselling or other intervention without being placed under the ISA.

The broader message emerging from the psychologists’ experience is uncomfortable precisely because it overturns a familiar stereotype.

A person moving toward extremism may still attend school, speak normally, interact with friends and appear unremarkable to the people around them.

That does not mean ordinary behaviour itself should cause suspicion. It means authorities increasingly view radicalisation as a process shaped by ideology, online influence, personal circumstances and psychological vulnerabilities rather than something that can be identified simply by appearance.

And as extremist material becomes easier to encounter online, Singapore’s newest challenge may be detecting that process before an apparently ordinary person’s private worldview turns into an intention to cause real-world harm.