Singapore police today opened an investigation into a member of an anti-gay Facebook group who allegedly posted a comment threatening to kill homosexuals who supported a recent gay pride event in the country.

The member, Bryan Lim, wrote on June 4 that he wanted to "open fire" and "would like to see these @$^*s die for their causes," according to police.

The comment was written on the 'We are against Pink Dot in Singapore' group, set up in protest against local gay pride event Pink Dot. The group has more than 7,500 members.

Condemnation for the comment quickly spread to Canon Singapore's Facebook page after Facebook user Audi Khalid revealed that Lim was a former consultant with the company.

"Such a person is a ticking time bomb and is a threat... to the social harmony of Singapore," said Sarah Yip in a post on Canon's Facebook page.

In response, Canon released a statement saying the matter was being looked into and that "we do not condone violence in any form".

Paerin Choa of Pink Dot said in a statement that the presence of individuals "who publicly perpetuate intolerance based on their narrow perspectives of the world deeply saddens and concerns us".

"We believe that the majority of Singaporeans value and embrace the importance of diversity - a cornerstone in our society - and hope that our authorities will keep all of us safe," said Choa.

- dpa