Terror suspects held in Singapore

Singapore believes US interests were being targeted

Twenty-one people have been arrested in Singapore on suspicion of having links to international terrorism, the authorities have announced.

Some of the suspects had undergone military training at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, said a government statement.

There is no known imminent security threat from other Jemaah Islamiyah elements in Singapore

Government statement

The statement said the arrests had been made in August, although news has only now been released.

The arrests mark Singapore's second major sweep against alleged al-Qaeda members.

In December, more than a dozen suspected terrorists were detained, also on suspicion of having links to Osama Bin Laden.

Monday's statement, released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, said most of the suspects arrested in August were members of a group called Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) - the same group as that involved in the previous arrests.

"These latest arrests have seriously disrupted the JI network in Singapore," the statement said.

Singapore police have been on high alert

"There is no known imminent security threat from other Jemaah Islamiyah elements in Singapore."

The authorities believe the group had been planning attacks against US interests in Singapore.

Some suspects had been trained at a militant base in the southern Philippines, the statement said.

All are said to be citizens of Singapore.

They can be held indefinitely, under the terms of Singapore's Internal Security Act.

Embassy alerts

After the December arrests, the Singapore Government - which has worked closely with the US during its war on terror - revealed details of what the suspects had allegedly been plotting.

There have been fears of attacks on US and UK interests

One plan was said to involve blowing up a bus carrying US personnel between a naval base and a local underground station.

US naval vessels off Singapore were also being targeted for bombing, the government said.

Two of the original 15 suspects were released without charge.

The region has been the focus of several alerts over alleged al-Qaeda plots.

Several US embassies were closed ahead of the 11 September anniversary.

The missions in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur were shut after what was described as a "credible and specific" threat.