Singapore Police Probe Death Threat Against PM Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore police said Monday they were investigating after Facebook posts showing photographs of bullets were addressed to the prime minister of the city-state, which prides itself on its stability and security.

"Police confirm reports have been lodged and investigations are ongoing," a Singapore Police Force spokesman told AFP without providing further details about the posts tagging Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Such online death threats against leaders are rare in Singapore, regarded as one of the world's safest societies, and which has strict gun control laws.

A post on the Facebook page "GM Pheonix" on Friday evening showed the photo of a bullet placed on camouflage fabric accompanied with the caption: "Lee Hsien Loong let's play a game. Find me if you can coz this bullet will go through your head soon."

"I forgot something. There's a guy wearing black hoodie just left a bomb at Changi Airport not sure which bag," the post added.

A second post on Saturday evening showed a picture of two bullets in a magazine. It was captioned: "Lee Hsien Loong.. everyone deserves a second chance."

On Sunday, a third post showed a screengrab of a notice that the page had been reported to Facebook for "promoting the sale of a firearm", and informing the group that its audience had been restricted to those who are 18 and over. The GM Pheonix comment on the post read "Lmao".

However the three posts, which all tagged Lee's official Facebook account, were still visible on the GM Pheonix page Monday afternoon.

Under Singapore's Arms Offences Act, anyone convicted of illegal possession of a gun or ammunition faces a jail term of between five and 10 years, and least six strokes of a wooden cane.

Those found guilty of using an illegal firearm face the death penalty.

The city-state also has a Cyber-Watch Centre which allows it to track malicious activities and respond swiftly to security threats.

A profile description on the GM Pheonix Facebook page, which has 7,970 followers, said "we are the face of chaos and harbingers of judgment".

"We mock those who are in pain," the description said.

The page also features regular postings on online gaming.