On the wee hours of October 17, two masked gunmen attacked Changi Airport, Singapore. The gunmen blindly shot at the waiting passengers, creating an air of panic all around. Shocked? Not necessary, as this was a simulated attack conducted by Singapore agencies which marked the beginning of 'Exercise Northstar', an effort to test the multi-agency response towards possible terror attacks in the country.
Changi Airport: The hottest target among terrorists
After the first phase of Exercise Northstar, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told that this dreaded scenario might not be too far-fetched.
"I think we've chosen a very realistic scenario for the exercise because if you look around the world, more than one airport has had a terrorist attack," said Lee, reports Channel News Asia.
The Prime Minister made it clear that Changi Airport is a high profile target for terrorists, and the chances of a terror attack in this airport are quite high.
"It's completely plausible that something like this would happen in Singapore one day, and if it does happen, we must be quite sure that our responders are ready for it," added the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was present in the airport till the completion of Exercise Northstar. Wearing a pair of safety glasses, Lee along with his wife, Ho Ching watched the operations conducted by the multiple agencies.
Lee's advice to multiple agencies
After watching the operations being conducted, Lee said that the multiple agencies in Singapore should work hand in glove to combat a possible terror attack in the country. He added that the agencies should cooperate, and should work hard with lots of hard work and teamwork for better outputs.
According to the Prime Minister, the sole aim of the multiple agencies during the time of a terrorist attack is to minimize the casualties and to deal with the threat without wasting a single second of time. Lee further added that the multiple agencies have done a great job during the simulated attack, and once again stressed that terrorism is a serious problem faced by Singapore.
This is not the first time that a simulated terrorist attack is being carried out in Singapore. Earlier, similar mock drills were conducted at Singapore Sports Hub, Kallang Wave Mall, and Stadium MRT Station.
