Upper Serangoon knife attack: Suspect and 2 victims reportedly members of South Korean church

A knife attack which occurred at Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre on Sunday (Oct 26) is believed to be linked to a South Korean church operating on mall premises, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

The incident allegedly occurred on the third floor of Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre, and the police had cordoned off an area at the building corner, the report said.

The police said in a statement that they received a call for assistance at about 12.20pm.

A 44-year-old woman had allegedly attacked two other women with a knife and was detained by members of the public. She is believed to have acted alone.

The owner of a nearby laptop repair shop, surnamed Lai, told AsiaOne on Oct 27 that the attack allegedly took place in a unit occupied by a church.

He revealed that the mall was crowded when the church was holding Sunday service, as a Malay wedding was also happening at the same time.

His CCTV camera captured the alleged attacker passing by his repair shop and heading towards the church. shortly after noon. Suddenly, he heard screams and shouts.

"All the children were running towards this empty unit beside my shop," he recalled.

Lai said he often sees the suspect and the victims and that the victims are sociable and would greet him, while the alleged attacker appeared reserved and frequently sat outside his store.

Zaobao reported that the church occupies two retail units and has no name signage mounted outside. The exterior is covered with fabric, and a large poster bears the Mandarin sentence "the history of rainbow and manmin".

According to the Chinese paper, the phrase "manmin" could be linked to the Manmin Central Church, which South Korean pastor Lee Jae-rock founded in 1982.

In 2023, The Korea Times reported that Jae believed himself to be equal to God, and his followers claimed he could cure illnesses.

Jae, who was given 15 years' jail in 2018 for sexually assaulting his followers, died in December 2023 at the age of 80, according to South Korean media.

Meanwhile, the two women, aged 36 and 44, who were injured in the alleged stabbing were conscious when taken to hospital.

Another 59-year-old man assisted in detaining the alleged attacker before the police arrived sustained minor injuries but refused conveyance.

The police said that the suspect was arrested for voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapon and will also be referred to undergo psychiatric assessment.

Investigations are ongoing.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com