'Gunman', 'knife attacker' neutralised in Clarke Quay during anti-terror drill Exercise Heartbeat

Moments after a bag began emitting smoke outside a live music bar in CQ @ Clarke Quay, a car crashed into a bollard at the adjacent driveway - and its driver then started attacking passers-by with a machete. 

Meanwhile, the bag's owner returns and "opens fire" with a pistol at people around the area.

Thankfully, the "assailants" did not manage to effect maximum damage, thanks to those who managed to "flee" and used their mobile phones, once safe, to notify the authorities. 

The quick actions of CQ's Company Emergency Response Team (Cert) played a part too.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) ground response officers, supported by its Emergency Response Team (ERT), arrive and they neutralise the driver.

The ERT is made up of officers across the SPF's land divisions who are trained in tactical as well as counter-assault skills to respond to terror-related incidents in Singapore. 

The police then starts to close in on the lone gunman who has now taken a hostage. He threatens to kill the hostage if police officers continue to close in on him.

Unknown to the gunman, officers from a specialist unit had already taken up positions, waiting for a suitable opportunity to take down the gunman safely.

That moment presented when the hostage, sensing the gunman's distraction, made a sudden dash to safety. Two shots were fired and the gunman fell.

SCDF paramedics wearing Kevlar helmets and ballistic-resistant vests then moved in, within a protective police cordon, to attend to the casualties - who were taken to a triage area for further assessment and treatment.

Every member of the community has a role to play: Sim Ann

The "drama" on Monday morning was thankfully just part of a simulated terror attack for a joint counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness exercise codenamed Exercise Heartbeat. 

The exercise is conducted regularly to exercise Home Team agencies and community partners in responding to terrorist attacks.

It involved over 80 participants from the police, Singapore Civil Defence Force and stakeholders. 

It also allows community participants to exercise key SGSecure advisories on how to respond to terror attacks - like "Run, Hide Tell" and "Press, Tie, Tell". 

This edition, the first to be held at CQ since 2017, is the third such exercise conducted in 2025, with similar drills conducted at Marsiling Hawker Centre in February, and the Singapore Sports Hub in April. 

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann who observed the exercise said that it is important for various stakeholders to come together to exercise scenarios against potential threats. 

"This can strengthen our community bonds, allows us to check the relevance of our plans, and it really helps to enhance effectiveness of our joint response during crisis," the senior minister of state said.

Sim also encouraged community partners, including commercial partners, to join the SPF's Safety and Security Watch Group to help improve collective readiness against potential threats.

Two social experiments conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in June found that there was "a significant gap between the public's perceived and actual level of vigilance". 

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editor@asiaone.com