SINGAPORE – A 22-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested following an alleged attempted assault on a priest at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Upper Thomson Road this past Sunday, February 9th.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed they received a call for assistance at 10:35 am. Preliminary investigations indicate the man, a regular attendee of the church, allegedly attempted to assault the priest as the congregation dispersed after the service. Church security personnel immediately detained the man, and no weapons were found in his possession. He was then handed over to police officers.

The priest, fortunately, did not sustain any visible injuries, according to the SPF.

The police have arrested the man for public nuisance and are referring him to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for further assessment. They urged the public to avoid speculation as investigations are ongoing and emphasized the importance of cooperating with security personnel at places of worship.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore released a statement on Sunday confirming the incident and stating that the priest was attended to by medics and is "safe and well," with only some minor swelling on his face. The Archdiocese also requested calm and prayers for both the priest and the individual involved.

This incident follows a similar attack in November 2024 at St Joseph's Church in Bukit Timah, where a priest was stabbed. In that case, a 37-year-old man was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt.