Teenager pleads guilty over detonating pipe bomb

When a teenager made plans to meet his friend at East Coast Park in 2020, enjoying the sea view was not on his mind. Instead, they found a quiet spot where he detonated a pipe bomb he had made.

He pleaded guilty yesterday to four charges for the offence, as well as other offences. The 19-year-old faced two charges of manufacturing explosives without a licence, one of committing a rash act in relation to a dangerous or harmful substance, and another of abetting a rash act in relation to a dangerous or harmful substance. He cannot be named as those accused of committing offences before they turn 18 are covered under the Children and Young Persons Act.

During the 2020 Covid-19 circuit breaker, he started researching online about weapons, bomb-making, sparkler bombs and other explosives. This led him to read about pipe bombs, and he decided to construct improvised ones some time between May and June that year.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sean Teh said in court documents that on June 7, 2020, the offender made plans with a friend to meet at East Coast Park and find a quiet spot to detonate the improvised pipe bombs. He left his home at about 7.30pm with two improvised pipe bombs and several improvised sparkler bombs. He met his friend and his friend's pal at East Coast Park, and the trio headed to a skate park there.

The offender took out his improvised sparkler bombs, placed them on a grass patch, and used an individual sparkler to act as a fuse. He saw flames from the sparkler bombs but they did not explode. He picked up one of the improvised sparkler bombs and threw it towards a grass patch, causing it to explode on contact with the ground. Next, he placed the two improvised pipe bombs on the grass patch and lit the fuse in order to detonate both. One of the improvised bombs detonated, causing a loud explosion. It did not cause any injuries. The detonation and explosion of the improvised pipe bomb were recorded on the offender's mobile phone, and he posted a video clip on his Instagram account. He had previously posted a video of an improvised sparkler bomb detonating at East Coast Park in April 2019. Acting on the offender's instructions, his friend had ignited the bomb and thrown it towards the open sea, where it detonated.

On June 19, 2020, a police report was made about pictures and videos of homemade explosives posted on the account. The next day, the police raided his home and found items related to the construction of an improvised bomb.

He will return to court on June 30 for sentencing.