4 men charged after Molotov cocktail attack at St James

Four men have been hauled to court after allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails at the main entrance at St James Power Station on Tuesday (Sept 13).

Between 2.10am and 2.25am that day, Cephas Ho Jin An and Eugene Lim Huang Shen, both 23, and Bryan Ho Chang Rong and Toh Wei Yi, both 26, allegedly threw four petrol-filled beer bottles, which had been set alight, at the nightspot.

They were each charged on Thursday (Sept 15) with one count of committing mischief by fire.

The four men are now remanded at Central Police Division and will be back in court next Thursday (Sept 22).

If convicted of committing the offence, they can each be jailed up to seven years and fined.

Police are also looking for Tay Kai Long, Daryl, 26, to assist with investigations.

PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE 

Anyone with information on him can can come forward and contact the police at 1800-255-0000.

One can also submit information at http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

What is a Molotov cocktail?

The Molotov cocktail is a type of weapon that is intended to set a target on fire when thrown.

The weapon is created by placing a flammable substance, such as gasoline, inside a breakable glass bottle. Before throwing, the user stuffs the bottle neck with a piece of fuel-soaked cloth, and lights it on fire.

The bottle is then usually thrown at vehicles. When the bottle breaks, the fuel inside is sprayed over the object, and the flame sets it ablaze.

This weapon is also known as a petrol bomb or alcohol bomb.

The Molotov cocktail was popularised in World War II, when the Soviet Union were at war against the Finnish.

The then Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, used these weapons against Finnish tanks.

The Finns started referring to these as the Molotov cocktail.

Get the full story in our print edition on Sept 16.

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