Bugis Bomb Hoax

Quite a few of my friends received this SMS on Friday. The apologetic and sincere tone of the SMS does make it seems kind of genuine. The full text as below:

“Kindly spread e news 2 yr friends. If possible, do not go Bugis these few days. Terrorists may plant bomb ard that area. This msg was forwarded from my friend’s army friend. Who said they’re alrd on 24hrs standby. Not sure how true but a friend was at Bugis today & there were really many policemen. i just wanted 2 be safe than sorry.”

What would you do if you receive a SMS like this?

I would think the appropriate action would be to call the police for verification rather than continue forwarding the SMS to perpetuate fear without confirming the authenticity of the message.

In this case, the SMS proved to be a hoax. A 19-year-old Singaporean male youth has been arrested by the police in relation to this. Full story below via Straits Times.com:

Arrested for terrorist SMS hoax – 21 Feb 2009
By Shuli Sudderuddin

POLICE yesterday arrested a 19-year old Singaporean male youth in connection with an SMS hoax suggesting a terrorist attack in the Bugis area.

The police have been receiving multiple calls from last Friday informing them of an SMS that was circulating.

The SMS, which had several variations, stated that terrorists were planning to bomb the Bugis area and that there were many policemen there. It advised the public to avoid the area.

Said a police spokesman yesterday: ‘Although there was no credible evidence to suggest such an attack at that point in time, we took the information seriously and immediately put in place necessary precautions to enhance security in the area.

‘We would like to assure the public that there is no cause for alarm as investigations have revealed that the SMS was indeed unsubstantiated.’

He stressed that the police take a very stern view against anyone who attempts to cause undue public alarm or fear in such a manner and will not hesitate to take action against such perpetrators.

Anyone found guilty of such an offence may face a maximum of one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

At Bugis Junction on Saturday afternoon, it was business as usual although some shopkeepers said it was slightly less crowded than on a normal one.

The guy who sent the SMS either has mental problem or has nothing better to do. I am guessing it’s the latter. Totally not worth it lor… he’s probably going to get sent to jail for this. Boys and girls, if you have nothing better to do, please go do some exercises or go play computer games or something – don’t do silly things like this please.

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