Sydney siege: Singapore cannot completely rule out such an incident despite precautions, says PM Lee

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. -- PHOTO: ST FILE 

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the hostage-taking incident in Sydney teaches Singaporeans not to let our guard down.

"Despite all our precautions, we can never completely rule out such an incident here. If it ever happens, we need the cohesion and resilience to deal with it calmly and as one united people, and not let it divide or destroy our society," Mr Lee said in a Facebook post.

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"I had just held a briefing and dialogue with our community and religious leaders on extremist terrorism last month. We talked about how it remained a live threat to us, and in particular the danger of self-radicalisation," he wrote in the post.

He added that he was saddened by the loss of innocent lives in Monday's incident.

The gunman behind the 16-hour siege at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe and two hostages were killed as heavily armed police stormed the cafe late Monday.

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