26-year-old church volunteer charged over false terrorist threat at St Joseph’s Church

 SINGAPORE: A church volunteer accused of placing an item resembling an improvised explosive device within the premises of St Joseph’s Church has been charged with making a false threat of a terrorist act on 22 December 2025.

The accused, Kokulananthan Mohan, 26, allegedly committed the offence at about 7am on 21 December 2025. Court documents state that he is believed to have acted alone.

According to the charge, Kokulananthan allegedly placed three cardboard cylinders filled with stone pebbles on the church premises.

The cylinders were described as having protruding red wires and being held together with black and yellow adhesive tape.

The item was allegedly placed with the intention of inducing another man to believe that it was likely to explode or ignite.

Prosecutors said this was done in a manner that could cause fear of personal injury or damage to property.

Police assessment and lack of terror link

In an earlier statement, the police said there is currently no evidence to suggest the incident was a religiously motivated attack or an act of terror. Investigations indicated that the item, while suspicious in appearance, was in fact harmless.

The incident led to the cancellation of mass services at St Joseph’s Church along Upper Bukit Timah Road on 21 December.

Police were alerted before the start of the Chinese-language mass scheduled for 7.30am.

A churchgoer later said the suspicious item was discovered before congregants had fully gathered for the service.

As a precaution, the church premises were evacuated.

Specialist units were activated as part of the response. The Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group was deployed to assess and secure the scene.

Police later confirmed that the item resembled an improvised explosive device but did not contain any explosive materials. The suspicious item was removed safely from the premises.

According to police statements, operations at the scene concluded at about 5pm on the same day. No injuries were reported, and there was no damage to church property.

Kokulananthan was brought before the court on 22 December 2025. He was ordered to be remanded at the Changi Prison Complex Medical Centre for a medical examination.

The court heard that his case will be mentioned again on 12 January 2026. Further details surrounding the investigations are expected to be addressed at the next mention.

Under Singapore law, making a false threat of a terrorist act carries serious penalties. An offender may be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000, or both.

Context of previous security incidents at the church

The incident occurred just over a year after a separate attack at the same church. In November 2024, Father Christopher Lee was stabbed by a man during mass.

That assailant, a 37-year-old man, was believed to have acted alone, and terrorism was ruled out by the authorities. A month later, another individual was found in possession of a folding knife at the church and was also investigated.

In a message issued on 21 December, Father Lee apologised to parishioners for the disruption and advised them to attend services elsewhere. He was praised by Dr Balakrishnan for his calm leadership during the incident.