Man In Buangkok Sword Incident Charged With Voluntarily Causing Hurt
On Monday (14 Mar), a man brandishing a sword in Buangkok caused a commotion as he went around attacking people and vehicles.
On Wednesday (16 Mar), 37-year-old Fadhil bin Yusop was charged with voluntarily causing hurt with a samurai sword.
He will be remanded for 3 weeks for psychiatric observation. Fadhil will return to court on 6 Apr.
The Internal Security Department (ISD) also revealed that Fadhil had shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the incident. But they believe it was not an act of terror.
Buangkok sword-wielding man charged on 16 Mar
On Wednesday (16 Mar), Fadhil appeared in court via a video link from Woodlands Police Division headquarters, TODAY reported.
He is accused of using a samurai sword to cut a pedestrian, Kumarapeli Arachchige Amila Chinthana, 3 times. Mr Chinthana suffered lacerations on his left arm and shoulder.
The 37-year-old was charged with 1 count of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.
Fadhil will be remanded for 3 weeks at Changi Prison Complex’s medical centre for psychiatric observation. His case will be heard again on 6 Apr.
He was wearing a white T-shirt with his arm in a sling. When led away, TODAY observed that he was visibly limping.
Buangkok sword incident on 14 Mar afternoon
On Monday (14 Mar), Fadhil was seen swinging a sword in the middle of Buangkok Crescent.
Man Seen Brandishing Sword At Cars & People In Buangkok, Arrested By Police
The police earlier revealed that he had consumed “unknown pills” before leaving his home with the sword.
Fadhil then had a ‘brief altercation’ with individuals at his HDB block’s lift lobby, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Following that, he jaywalked across the road and hit 5 passing cars with the sword.
After doing this, he walked towards Mr Chinthana, who was standing at the traffic junction in front of Buangkok Square Mall.
He swung the sword at Mr Chinthana but slipped. Mr Chinthana then managed to pin Fadhil down and restrain him with the help of passers-by.
According to the ISD, the police were informed of the incident at about 1.56pm. Fadhil was then arrested.
ISD believes he acted alone
ISD is now working with the police to conduct investigations on Fadhil.
The department shared on Tuesday (15 Mar) that during the incident, Fadhil had shouted “Allahu Akbar”, which means “God is the greatest” in Arabic.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the ISD believed that he had acted alone. Preliminary investigations do not suggest that the incident was an act of terror.
ISD also revealed that the 37-year-old had been investigated twice for possible terrorism-related offences. Both times, he was found not to have been radicalised.
In 2016, he shared images of militant groups like Hamas’ Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades online.
On that occasion, ISD said there was no indication he was radicalised or intended to engage in armed violence. He was given a written warning for his social media posts.
In 2020, Fadhil was arrested for approaching Al-Mawaddah mosque’s imam – i.e. worship leader – in Buangkok with a knife.
Investigations did not suggest that the attack was terrorism-related. He was found to have consumed many pills containing dextromethorphan, leading to his behaviour.
Fadhil was then sentenced to 9 months and 2 weeks in prison. He was released in Jul 2020.
Hope he gets the help he needs
For voluntarily causing hurt, Fadhil faces up to 7 years’ jail, fine, caning, or any combination of the 3.
Substance abuse can lead to drastic changes in behaviour and obscure judgement.
Overcoming it is a long and challenging battle. We hope Fadhil gets the help he needs even as he comes to grips with the consequences of his actions.
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