Security patrols in the Malacca Strait have increased following a warning from Singapore that terrorists were planning attacks on ships.
Defense authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore say they have increased sea and air patrols in the Malacca Strait.
Singapore warned that a terrorist group was planning attacks on oil tankers in the shipping lanes, through which half the world's oil and much of its trade is transported.
The warning did not specify a terrorist organization or say when the sea attacks were expected. But, the Singapore Navy said militants could use small boats to launch the attacks and urged shipping companies to stay alert for suspicious activities.
Rohan Gunaratna, the head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, says the countries are right to take the terrorism warning seriously.
Singapore Navy's Information Fusion Center said terrorists may be planning attacks to seek publicity and show that they are still active.
