Reference no: EM133624764

Question: Sham is a 25-year-old Singaporean man who was recently detained under Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA). He was found to have made detailed plans and preparations to conduct attacks on places of worship that he deemed to be "un-religious" or "overly secular".

Sham has a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Religious Studies. His parents disclosed that Sham saw a psychiatrist when he was 22 years old due to his frequent aggressive outbursts following the suicide of his best friend. While not completely certain about the real cause of his friend's suicide, Sham's parents shared that the suicide seemed related to some pressures and tensions that his friend was facing with his religious institution. Sham's parents also added that, apart from his best friend, Sham was mostly a loner and was socially isolated from people. Six months prior to being detained, Sham was fired from his job as he was involved in several verbally aggressive incidents at work, many of which involved heated discussions about religion. His parents revealed that Sham did not get along with his colleagues as he perceived that they discriminated against him and rejected his religious ideologies. After he lost his job, he reportedly spent a large portion of his time in his room and mostly kept to himself.

According to Sham's psychiatrist, Sham was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct. The psychiatrist noted that Sham struggled to deal with the death of his best friend and appeared to be disproportionately distressed by it. He observed that Sham held strong religious beliefs and felt aggrieved that his friend was driven to suicide by those who portrayed themselves to be religious. He added that Sham seemed to endorse some violent beliefs with themes of revenge (e.g., "justice is best served through violence", "violence is the weapon for revenge"). He also noted that Sham's personality was characterised by rigidity, stubbornness, and inflexibility. Although a referral was made to a psychologist to address Sham's distress and unhelpful beliefs, Sham had defaulted on the appointment and was unwilling to receive further psychiatric or psychological services.

After Sham was detained, investigators found pictures of various weapons in his room, along with detailed notes and manuals on making and using weapons and explosives. Maps and photos of places of worship and their surroundings were also found in Sham's mobile phone. His laptop contained records of him assessing the Dark Web for weapons and raw materials, as well as a draft manifesto detailing his hatred for the "un-religious who masquerade as religious advocates" and his desire to "clean up the religious institutions that have been tainted". Investigators also established that he has been watching livestream videos of terrorist attacks on various places of worship and reading extremist narratives.

Examine the risk factors that could have influenced Sham to becoming radicalised and his likely profile. Illustrate the rehabilitation approach that would likely be used to reduce Sham's risk of future violent extremism and the threat that he might pose