Day after Shinzo Abe's assassination, man arrested for threatening Singapore PM Lee on social media

Authorities in Singapore have reportedly arrested a 45-year-old man for inciting violence by posting a comment on Facebook against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

According to media reports on Saturday, police in Singapore detained a 45-year-old man for inciting violence by disparaging Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook comment. 

The threat was discovered in the comments box of a post about the murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the Facebook page of news outlet Channel News Asia.

According to the Straits Times newspaper, police claimed they received information about a threat to incite violence against Prime Minister Lee at 3:10 pm on Friday.

After further investigation, police claimed they could identify the Facebook user, who was then taken into custody. Four mobile phones, a tablet, and a laptop were seized. According to a report from Channel News Asia, police investigations are still ongoing.

According to the newspaper, whoever is found guilty of creating or distributing an electronic record that incites violence may receive up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

Prime Minister Lee on Friday slammed Abe's assassination as a 'senseless act of violence'. "Mr. Abe is a good friend of Singapore. I had just hosted him for lunch in May, on my visit to Tokyo. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Abe and his family," Lee said on Facebook. 

Abe, 67, was assassinated on Friday on a street in western Japan by a gunman who opened fire on him from behind as he delivered a campaign speech.

(With inputs from PTI)