First anti-terror drill at place of worship held at Sultan Mosque

The iconic Sultan Mosque in Kampong Glam came under a "terror attack" on Sunday as part of an exercise to test its readiness to deal with terrorism.

It was the first time such an exercise was held at a place of worship in Singapore, the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the mosque said in a joint statement yesterday.

Codenamed Exercise Heartbeat, the drill was part of a series of anti-terrorism exercises held at various locations. For instance, one was held at the lobby of Crowne Plaza Changi Airport on May 17, and another was held at Republic Polytechnic on July 23.

With the recent attacks on places of worship and religious institutions in other parts of the world, the exercise was aimed at ensuring that the mosque's existing plans to deal with a terror attack are effective, and examining if there are ways it could better respond to such an attack, the statement said.

In March, there were two mosque shootings in Christchurch. At least 49 people were killed and dozens injured, and the New Zealand government put the country on its highest security threat level.

On Easter Sunday in April, a series of bombings in Sri Lanka targeted three churches, among other targets. More than 250 people were killed.

In preparation for the exercise at Sultan Mosque, about 60 employees and volunteers from the mosque were trained in first aid and immediate response skills, such as running, hiding and reporting an attack. A planning exercise was also conducted by the police and the mosque to identify gaps in response plans.

The efforts emphasised the importance for building owners to review security measures and enhance their emergency preparedness, said the police and SCDF.

They added that building owners are encouraged to develop contingency plans, and train their staff and tenants to become familiar with them.