SINGAPORE - A Singaporean man was arrested by the police on Christmas Eve after claiming he had a bomb in his car.

The 25-year-old arrived at the Woodlands Checkpoint in a Malaysian-registered car at 1.45am, and allegedly told officers there was a bomb in the car.

The Straits Times understands that an officer was checking the boot of the car at the time.

The area was cordoned off immediately and full resources were deployed to check the vehicle and all passengers, said the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Dec 27).

For making the "uncalled-for remarks", the man is currently being investigated by the Singapore Police Force for a possible offence under Regulation 8(1) of the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations.

"ICA treats all security threats at the checkpoints seriously. We will not hesitate to take action against such irresponsible behaviour that not only created unnecessary public alarm but also inconvenienced other checkpoint users," said ICA in the post.

Anyone found guilty of committing the offence faces a fine of up to $100,000 or up to five years' jail, or both.