Singapore police said the man was arrested under anti-terrorism regulations.

A suspicious item at the church was reported at about 7.10am by a man who told police he had discovered the item in a drain within the church compound. He said he kept very still while holding on to it.

Police secured the area and evacuated the premises to ensure public safety. A military bomb squad was also activated to conduct further assessment.

“Following thorough checks, the item, which resembled an improvised explosive device, was assessed at about 10.40am to be three cardboard rolls and wires taped with black tape, with no explosive elements present. It was subsequently removed from the scene,” the police said.

Home minister K Shanmugam said the suspicious item was not a bomb. “Someone has tried to create the impression that it was an explosive device,” he wrote on Facebook.

In November last year, Father Christopher Lee, priest of St Joseph’s church, was stabbed in the mouth by a knife-wielding man while celebrating evening mass at the church.