Police on Thursday arrested a 34-year-old man for making a false bomb threat on an online news website.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the police said on Friday that the threat was posted as a comment in response to an article on the website relating to the recent Boston Marathon bombings.

A police report was made on Wednesday. It said a post on "an online news website had made threats to bomb several locations in Singapore".

Following the report, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division and the Technology Crime Investigation Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted extensive enquiries and investigations to track down the suspect.

"Their efforts paid off when the identity of the suspect was established within 24 hours of the report," said a police spokesman.

The suspect was arrested in Sengkang Central.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect had no intention or means to carry out his threats. Investigations are on-going," the spokesman added.

The police also said that they are aware of a recent online posting that had made a threat to bomb the Singapore marathon, and are looking into the matter.

"Police take a serious view of anyone who capitalises on recent security concerns to attempt to cause public alarm or fear by making bomb hoaxes, and will spare no effort to track down the perpetrators and take them to task," said the police.

Under Regulation 8(1) of the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations, it is an offence for a person to communicate or make available by any means any information which he knows or believes to be false to another person, with the intention of inducing in him or any other person a false belief that a terrorist act has been, is being or will be carried out.

Any person found guilty of committing the offence shall be punished with a fine not exceeding $100,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both.