'Gunmen' neutralised, 'hostages' freed at NUS during anti-terror drill Exercise Heartbeat

On Friday (Feb 13) afternoon, a car pulled up at the National University of Singapore (NUS) @ UTown and three gunmen got out and started shooting at students.

Chaos reigned as students suffered "gunshot wounds".

One of the gunmen then went to a dustbin nearby to place an improvised explosive device (IED) in it.

Then, it fell eerily quiet again, as the "gunmen" disappeared into the building, leaving their victims groaning in pain.

By now, the police and campus security were notified.

Thankfully, the "drama" that unfolded at NUS was just part of a simulated terror attack for a joint counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness exercise codenamed Exercise Heartbeat, and is conducted regularly by Home Team agencies and community partners.

It involved over 120 participants from the police, SCDF and stakeholders from NUS.

Meanwhile, NUS students trained in first aid stepped up to help, applying the "Press, Tie, Tell" technique in an attempt to stabilise the victims before first responders arrived.

As the police's ground response force (GRF) officers arrived at the scene, one of the three "gunmen" came out of hiding to take on the officers, but was shot and arrested.

Soon after, officers from the police's Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Police Tactical Unit (PTU) arrived and took out the second "gunman" as he set off the IED placed earlier.

As the threat had not passed, Singapore Civil Defence Force firefighters sent in their pumper firefighting machine to mitigate operational risks. 

Sensing that the odds were stacked against him, the final "gunman" decided to surrender just as PTU officers from the Special Operations Command closed in on him.

First responders then moved in to triage and treat the wounded "hostages".

Keeping Singapore safe, secure: Goh Pei Ming

This edition of Exercise Heartbeat, the first to be held at NUS since 2019, is the first such exercise conducted in 2026. Last November, a similar anti-terror drill was held in Clarke Quay.

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". 

Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming, who observed the exercise, said that exercises such as these are important as they provide avenues to put emergency preparedness skills and knowledge into practice.

"When our community is prepared, vigilant, and united, we can respond swiftly and effectively to any threat, and collectively keep Singapore safe and secure," the minister of state added.

Those with information on suspicious persons or activities can contact the Internal Security Department at 1800-2626-473 or the police at 999,  SMS to 70999, or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. 

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