SINGAPORE/JAKARTA — When police detained an Indonesian teenager accused of bombing his high-school campus in Jakarta in November, he had a life-size toy rifle inscribed with “welcome to hell” and the names of white supremacist mass killers.

The November 7 attack, which injured 96 people, may have been the first in the country inspired by white supremacists but police fear it won’t be the last.

At least 97 youths – the youngest just 11 – are being monitored after coming under the influence of content glorifying mass violence and white supremacists spread largely on messaging app Telegram, Indonesian police told Reuters in March.

At least two were planning acts of violence following the Jakarta bombing, according to the police.

And it’s not just Indonesia. Across Southeast Asia – home to hundreds of millions of people of different ethnicities and faiths – police are grappling with a surge in teenagers plotting violence inspired by white supremacists such as Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant, according to interviews with security officials in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Singapore’s domestic intelligence agency has detained four youths since December 2020 on grounds that they subscribed to “violent far-right extremism ideologies” and were planning attacks. Far-right extremism has since been named by the city-state’s Internal Security Department (ISD) as a top threat.

None of the teenagers Singapore and Indonesia are monitoring are white. Some were plotting attacks they believed would protect the existing racial and religious composition of their countries, according to ISD statements on the detentions. Others, three Indonesian security officials say, were inspired by the violence of far-right attackers, even if they didn’t have similar grievances.

In every instance in Singapore and Indonesia reviewed by Reuters, the teenagers were alleged by authorities to have been radicalized through social media posts and communities.

Many of the young people who have been detained or placed under monitoring appear to be disillusioned and lonely individuals “turning towards a nihilistic worldview after being radicalized by far-right messaging”, said Pravin Prakash, who researches Southeast Asia at the Center for the Study of Organised Hate, a Washington think-tank.

The Jakarta suspect, according to Indonesian authorities, had posted online video footage of his campus alongside Nazi symbols and text that appeared to be inspired by “Highway to Hell” from the rock band AC/DC: “Don’t need no reason, ain’t nothing I’d rather do. I am on the highway to hell and all my friends are going to be there.”

Telegram groups, in particular, had provided the young people with a sense of belonging, according to Indonesian police.

That platform often doesn’t take action on content that authorities have reported as extremist, said police commissioner Mayndra Eka Wardhana, a spokesperson for the counter-terrorism squad.

Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn said in response to questions that the platform “has an open channel of communication with Indonesian authorities” and “removes any content that breaches Telegram’s terms of service whenever reported.”

Telegram “supports the right to peaceful free speech, but calls to violence are explicitly forbidden,” Vaughn added.

Southeast Asian security and police agencies are coordinating efforts, marking the first regional cooperation on this type of radicalization, according to officials from Singapore and Indonesia.

KILLER MEMES
All the Indonesian teens authorities identified as being radicalized were affiliated with the “true crime community”, a popular internet subculture.

In channels linked to the community, users share memes and other content that glorifies killers like Tarrant, whose name was found on the Jakarta suspect’s toy rifle, according to screenshots shared with Reuters by police and a separate review of four such groups.

Some online posters also traded bomb-making tutorials and egged each other on toward violence, screenshots of their conversations show.

White supremacist content has also spread across other platforms, though often with a localized twist. Posts, for instance, may feature Southeast Asian iconography alongside Nazi symbols.

Reuters viewed hundreds of such videos from Southeast Asian users on TikTok showcasing racist caricatures of Chinese people and other minorities such as Rohingya Muslims alongside phrases like “TCD,” or “Totally Cheerful Day” and “TRD,” or “Total Refreshing Day.”

The phrases appear to be code calling for “Total Chinese Death” or “Total Rohingya Death”, said Saddiq Basha of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), who has tracked such content since 2024.

One popular video by an Indonesian user featuring the hashtag #TCD has been viewed over 542,000 times. The creator did not respond to a request for comment.

Western white supremacist groups have used phrases like “TND/Totally Nice Day” and “TJD/Totally Joyful Day” to advocate the extermination of black and Jewish people, according to anti-discrimination groups like the Anti-Defamation League.

TikTok removed the Indonesian user’s post, as well as similar content identified by Reuters, after the news agency sent the platform questions about its moderation policies.

“There is no place on our platform for those dedicated to spreading beliefs or propaganda that encourage violence or hate,” a company spokesperson said.

Two people working on online-safety teams at TikTok told Reuters they were not familiar with the existence of policies on moderating posts that featured localized takes on white supremacist slogans and had been unaware of such content. They were interviewed on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.

The TikTok spokesperson said the platform blocks “certain keywords from appearing as search suggestions to reduce their visibility if we find that they are being used as coded language” and consults with Southeast Asian advisors on online safety.

Tech companies have focused on moderating Islamist content in Southeast Asia, sometimes to the point where they fail to account for other extremist posts, said Chasseur Group director Munira Mustaffa, who has advised Southeast Asian governments and social media platforms on combating extremism.

“While the concept of neo-Nazism lies in the assertion that the white race reigns supreme, these ideas are easily adaptable into local context,” she said, adding that teens who successfully carry out attacks believe they will gain status in their online communities.

Among the youths authorities say were radicalized by algorithms is Nick Lee Xing Qiu, who was detained last year by the ISD as an 18-year-old on suspicion of plotting attacks against Singapore’s Malay Muslim minority.

The agency said algorithms on unspecified platforms had recommended far-right extremist content to him.

Reuters couldn’t reach Lee, who is being held under a law that permits his detention without trial. The news agency also couldn’t identify a legal representative to direct questions to.

Lee and another teenager, who was separately detained and has not been named, self-identified as “East Asian supremacists”, ISD said in statements about their cases.

The youths had in their online posts referenced the neo-Nazi “great replacement theory” – which posits that white populations are being forcibly replaced by minorities – and claimed to be inspired to fight back, according to ISD.

YOUTH REHABILITATION
Mayndra, the Indonesian counter-terrorism official, said authorities were worried that teenagers radicalized by the violence of extremist content could be targeted by “terror groups” for recruitment.

Many of the teenagers in detention or under monitoring in Indonesia and Singapore are under the age of majority or have not successfully perpetrated acts of violence.

The Jakarta bombing suspect, for instance, is being held by child protective services while authorities construct their case, according to police spokesperson Budi Hermanto.

The suspect has not been charged or entered a plea, the official said.

“My hope, if it’s possible, is do not punish him, just give him counselling so he can be a better person,” Rudianti, a family member of the Jakarta suspect who goes by one name, told Reuters.

Indonesia this month announced plans to restrict social-media access for children under the age of 16, in a move that Mayndra said would also help combat youth radicalization though it was not a complete solution.

In Singapore, authorities have turned to the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) to work with some teenagers detained for plotting far-right attacks. The non-profit was set up by Muslim scholars in 2003 to rehabilitate suspected Islamist militants and is staffed by volunteer educators.

The group counsels young detainees and prepares them for national exams, said Ahmad Helmi Bin Mohamad Hasbi, an RRG counsellor and expert on radicalism at RSIS.

RRG worked with Singapore’s first far-right extremist detainee, who was held in 2020 at the age of 16 for allegedly planning machete attacks on two mosques. He was released from rehabilitation in 2024.

Groups like RRG will have to contend, however, with the speed at which some Southeast Asian extremists are gaining influence globally.

Just a month after the Jakarta bombing, a 15-year-old Russian was accused of stabbing a Tajik migrant child to death in the Moscow area.

The Russian had written a manifesto, which was published on Telegram and authenticated by researchers with the Global Project on Hate and Extremism, a U.S.-based non-profit.

In it, the Russian suspect labelled the Indonesian teen a hero. He also argued that if non-white youths could execute such attacks, white supremacists should be capable of more. — Reuters

DUBAI/JERUSALEM/DORAL Florida — US President Donald Trump on Monday predicted the war in the Middle East could be over soon, even as Iran’s hardliners staged a show of loyalty to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a sign that it was not prepared to back down any time soon.

The conflicting signals sent markets on a rollercoaster, with oil prices surging and stock markets nosediving before swinging in the other direction after Mr. Trump’s comments and reports of a possible ease in sanctions on Russian energy.

Mr. Khamenei, 56, a Shi’ite cleric with a power base among the security forces and their vast business empire, has been declared unacceptable by Mr. Trump, who has demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender.

Mr. Trump said the war would continue until Iran is “totally and decisively defeated,” but predicted it would be over soon.

“It’s going to be finished pretty quickly,” he told Republican lawmakers. “We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” he said.

Mr. Trump did not, however, define exactly what victory in the war would look like.

Iranian state media showed large crowds in several cities rallying behind the new leader, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of his father Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader killed by an Israeli strike on the war’s first day.

In Isfahan, state TV reported the sound of nearby explosions from apparent airstrikes as loyalists gathered in the historic Imam Square, chanting “God is the Greatest” below a stage with portraits of Ali and Mojtaba Khamenei.

In a further sign of defiance, Iran’s military said it would step up its missile strikes.

POLITICAL SYSTEM RALLIES BEHIND NEW LEADER
Politicians and institutions issued pledges of loyalty to the new supreme leader, whose wife, son and mother also died at the start of the US-Israeli air onslaught according to Iranian state media.

“We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop of our blood,” a defense council statement said.

Iranians reached by telephone were divided, with supporters of the authorities hailing the choice as a declaration of defiance and opponents fearful it would dash their hopes for change.

“I am so happy that he is our new leader. It was a slap in the face to our enemies that thought the system will collapse with the killing of his father. Our late leader’s path will continue,” said university student Zahra Mirbagheri, 21, from Tehran.

Many Iranians had initially celebrated the elder Khamenei’s death, weeks after his security forces killed thousands of anti-government protesters in the worst domestic unrest since the era of Iran’s 1979 revolution. But there has since been little sign of anti-government activity, with activists fearful of taking to the streets while Iran is under attack.

“The (elite Revolutionary) Guards and the system are still powerful. They have tens of thousands of forces ready to fight to keep this regime in place. We, the people, have nothing,” said Babak, 34, a businessman in the central city of Arak who asked to keep his family name confidential.

Israel says its war aim is to overthrow Iran’s system of clerical rule. US officials mainly say Washington’s aim is to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and nuclear program, but Mr. Trump has said the war can end only with a compliant Iranian government.

Israel had said it would kill whoever succeeded the elder Khamenei unless Iran ended its hostile policies.

OIL SURGES, THEN DIPS BACK
The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to halt pumping as storage fills.

Brent crude futures jumped about 7% to settle at their highest price since 2022 after soaring by as much as 29% during the session, as Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members cut supplies. But prices fell in post-settlement trade.

The price of gasoline has particular political resonance in the United States, where voters cite rising costs as a top concern ahead of the November midterm elections, when Mr. Trump’s Republicans will try to keep control of Congress.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday found 67% of Americans expect gas prices to rise over the coming months, and only 29% approve of the war.
After speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr. Trump said the United States will waive certain oil-related sanctions to ease the shortage. According to multiple sources, that could mean a further easing of sanctions on Russian oil, which could complicate efforts to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Other options include a possible release of oil from strategic reserves or restricting US exports, sources said.

OIL REFINERY HIT
Tehran was choked in black smoke after an oil refinery was hit, an escalation in strikes on Iran’s domestic energy supplies. World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus warned the fire risks contaminating food, water, and air.

Turkey said on Monday NATO air defenses had shot down a ballistic missile that was fired from Iran and entered Turkish airspace, the second such incident of the war. Iran did not immediately comment on the report.

Turkey, Iran’s neighbor with NATO’s second-largest army, had warned Tehran on Saturday against attacking again, but it has not suggested it wants to formally call on bloc members for further protection.

Israel’s military said it had launched new attacks in central Iran and struck the Lebanese capital Beirut, where Israel has extended its campaign after the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah fired across the border.

US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador. Lebanon has reported more than 400 people killed there, with nearly 700,000 people fleeing their homes.

In Israel, ambulance workers said one man died from shrapnel wounds at a construction site near Tel Aviv’s international airport, raising to 11 the death toll from Iranian strikes. — Reuters

DESPITE what it called a humanitarian “disaster” in Afghanistan, the US said on Monday international assistance to the country should be evaluated, given Taliban “intransigence” and its exclusion of the female population from basic rights.

Speaking to a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, noted that the budget for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the mandate of which is up for renewal next week, is the largest of any special UN mission in the world.

“In light of the Taliban’s intransigence, we must carefully evaluate the utility of international assistance and engagement in Afghanistan,” Mr. Waltz said, even as he highlighted an ongoing “humanitarian disaster” there.

“This council must consider carefully the funds we collectively provide for this mission’s budget, when the mission’s female national staff are not even able to go into the office to work,” he added.

Afghanistan under the Taliban faces one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian crises.

According to the UN World Food Programme, more than 17 million Afghans – or one-third of the population – are facing acute food shortages, including 4.7 million facing emergency levels of hunger.

The temporary head of UNAMA, Georgette Gagnon, told the meeting Afghanistan had “urgent” humanitarian needs and the humanitarian crisis there had worsened due to funding cuts. She said humanitarian agencies aimed to assist 17.5 million Afghans in 2026 through an appeal for $1.71 billion, but this was currently only 10% funded.

Ms. Gagnon said Afghanistan’s nearly two-week conflict with Pakistan had had “punishing human and economic costs” and the Iran war on its other border was causing prices of basic commodities to rise.

She said some positive developments showed the value of international engagement, including the Taliban ban on opium poppy cultivation. She warned that if rights and humanitarian issues were not dealt with, Afghanistan could “once again become a driver of regional and global instability in the form of outmigration, terrorism, narcotics and more.” — Reuters

WASHINGTON — The Canadian government said on Monday that it will let TikTok continue to operate in Canada and allow an investment by the tech platform to proceed after completing a national security review.

The approval is subject to new legally binding undertakings provided by TikTok Canada, Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement.

“Further, this decision will protect Canadian jobs, ensuring that TikTok Canada maintains a physical presence in Canada, with commitments to invest in its cultural sector,” the Canadian government said.

In November 2024, Canada’s industry ministry had ordered TikTok’s business be dissolved, citing national security risks.

But Canada’s federal court in January overturned the government order, allowing the short-video app to keep operating, and told Ottawa to review the case. The industry ministry said at the time that Ms. Joly would conduct a national security review.

TikTok also acknowledged the undertakings and said on Monday it had reached an agreement with Canada’s government that will keep its local operations in place.

The platform will implement enhanced protection for Canadians’ personal information, including new security gateways and privacy-enhancing technologies to control access to Canadian user data in order to reduce the risk of unauthorized or prohibited access, the Canadian government said.

It also said TikTok will implement enhanced protections for minors.

An independent third-party monitor will be appointed to audit and continuously verify data access controls, the Canadian government added.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has been seeking closer ties to China to help offset the damage done to the Canadian economy by US import tariffs.

Canada and other nations have been scrutinizing TikTok because of concerns China could use the app to harvest users’ data or advance its interests. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

Last September, TikTok agreed to improve its measures to keep children off its Canadian website and app after an investigation found its efforts to block children and protect personal information were inadequate. — Reuters