Asia-Pacific security meet disrupted as police shoot man near venue

AFP, SINGAPORE: An Asia-Pacific security summit was briefly put on lockdown Sunday after police shot dead a local motorist who tried to flee a checkpoint in a car later found to contain drugs, officials said. The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue attended by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and counterparts from around the world along with top military officials ended at midday Sunday. But before dawn, police opened fire at a car with three Singaporean men after they tried to crash through a barricade outside the annual summit’s venue, the Shangri-La Hotel.
The 34-year-old driver was killed and one passenger was wounded and hospitalised. Both passengers are now under arrest. “Substances believed to be controlled drugs and an item believed to be a drug-taking utensil were found on the men arrested,” the police said in a statement. “The driver and one of the passengers are wanted by authorities for various offences,” the statement said, adding that no weapons or explosives were found in the vehicle. Shootings are extremely rare in Singapore, which boasts one of the world’s lowest crime rates, but the city-state considers itself a potential terrorist target. The city-state’s drug laws are among the toughest in the world, with courts allowed to impose the death penalty for people convicted of trafficking large amounts of certain drugs like heroin. “Preliminary investigations indicate that this is an isolated incident. Police investigations are ongoing,” the statement added. After the shooting, police officers initially told people attending the summit that the hotel was on complete lockdown, with no entry allowed. Roads and pathways leading up to the hotel, located in Singapore’s leafy diplomatic quarter, were shut off with barricade tape. But access to the venue was gradually eased on Sunday morning. The conference resumed at 9:00 am (0100 GMT) with no signs of alarm in the main lobby.

Asia-Pacific security meet disrupted as police shoot man near venue

AFP, SINGAPORE: An Asia-Pacific security summit was briefly put on lockdown Sunday after police shot dead a local motorist who tried to flee a checkpoint in a car later found to contain drugs, officials said. The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue attended by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and counterparts from around the world along with top military officials ended at midday Sunday. But before dawn, police opened fire at a car with three Singaporean men after they tried to crash through a barricade outside the annual summits venue, the Shangri-La Hotel. The 34-year-old driver was killed and one passenger was wounded and hospitalised. Both passengers are now under arrest. Substances believed to be controlled drugs and an item believed to be a drug-taking utensil were found on the men arrested, the police said in a statement. The driver and one of the passengers are wanted by authorities for various offences, the statement said, adding that no weapons or explosives were found in the vehicle. Shootings are extremely rare in Singapore, which boasts one of the worlds lowest crime rates, but the city-state considers itself a potential terrorist target. The city-states drug laws are among the toughest in the world, with courts allowed to impose the death penalty for people convicted of trafficking large amounts of certain drugs like heroin. Preliminary investigations indicate that this is an isolated incident. Police investigations are ongoing, the statement added. After the shooting, police officers initially told people attending the summit that the hotel was on complete lockdown, with no entry allowed. Roads and pathways leading up to the hotel, located in Singapores leafy diplomatic quarter, were shut off with barricade tape. But access to the venue was gradually eased on Sunday morning. The conference resumed at 9:00 am (0100 GMT) with no signs of alarm in the main lobby.