Expletive-sprayed van driven into Muis premises

[General Kala]

Jan 15, 2011

Expletive-sprayed van driven into Muis premises

Driver with 'Middle Eastern looks' flees

By Chong Zi Liang

The van, sprayed with expletives about the Malay community, was driven into Muis premises yesterday. Police are tracing the whereabouts of the suspect. -- ST PHOTO: WANG HUI FEN

A DRIVER with Middle Eastern looks drove a van spray-painted with expletives about the Malay community into the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore's (Muis) headquarters on Friday, parked it, and fled on foot.

Police, who were called in immediately to investigate, said last night that preliminary checks showed that the white Mercedes Vito van was driven to Muis' premises by a 'Middle-Eastern-looking man around 50 years old'.

Police are tracing the whereabouts of the suspect. Issuing a stern warning, the police said they view such incidents 'seriously' and will investigate the matter 'thoroughly'.

'Any person who is found to have deliberately incited anti-racial or anti-religious feelings will be firmly dealt with under the law,' they added.

When The Straits Times visited the Islamic hub in Braddell Road yesterday evening, it spotted the van near the entrance with red spray paint on its left, right and rear panels.

The expletives, scrawled in Malay, referred to the community as 'sgmalay'. Among other things, the offensive remarks consisted of the word 'mati', Malay for die, at the back.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
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[Zangief]

Man behind mystery van arrested

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by Ng Jing Yng
05:55 AM Jan 17, 2011

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean believed to be mentally unsound has been arrested in connection with the case of the van abandoned outside the Singapore Islamic Hub (picture).

Police told MediaCorp yesterday that the 49-year-old man of Pakistani descent has been referred to the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric evaluation.

The van had been spray-painted with offensive words but police said the man's actions are not believed to be racially motivated.

In reply to media queries, the police confirmed they caught the suspect on Saturday evening in Bedok North. He was alone in a shop and apparently did little to resist arrest.

The man is alleged to have driven the white van to the headquarters of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) on Friday, parked the vehicle - which does not belong to MUIS - and fled on foot.

There were red scrawls on its left, right and rear panels, including the word "mati" ("die" in Malay) on the back of the vehicle.

A MUIS spokesman had said they called the police because of the expletives on the van, which was left within 10m of its gate leading out to Braddell Road.

Police investigations are ongoing.