The United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur has downplayed a terror alert o­n Malaysia, saying that the US Department of State warning was not directly related to Monday's suicide bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Spokesperson Frank Whitaker said the travel warning dated May 14 was issued to replace a similar alert last November, and that it was not indicative that specific intelligence had been received o­n planned attacks o­n Malaysia.

Abu Sayyaf threat

Whitaker was responding to reports that the US government had issued warnings of possible terrorist attacks in Malaysia and parts of east Africa in the wake of the suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia which killed 34 people.

Three Malaysians were reported to have been injured in the attack o­n a luxury residential compound housing mostly foreign nationals.

"The old travel warning was due to be renewed. A couple of wire services wrote about the (alert) as though it had something to do with the Riyadh bombings but it was just coincidental. There has been no substantive change (in risk levels)," Whitaker said when contacted today.

He said the specific reference to Sabah was made largely as a cautionary reminder to potential American tourists of an incident in Sipadan three years ago when a group of tourists were kidnapped for ransom by southern Filipino militants, the Abu Sayyaf group.

"The travel warning goes all the way back to the Sipadan kidnappings. In any case, it has more to do with the Abu Sayyaf than Malaysia," he added.

In its 'public announcement' notice made available online, the US government expressed "continuing concern" about the possibility of terrorist attacks against American citizens and American interests in Malaysia, especially in Sabah.

"Attacks similar to the October 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, Indonesia, may occur in other Southeast Asian nations, including Malaysia," the notice says.

"The Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and other extreme groups present in the region have demonstrated transnational capabilities to carry out attacks against locations where Westerners congregate."

Diplomatic row

The travel warning said visitors to eastern Sabah's coastal areas should take extreme precautions because of its proximity to conflict areas in southern Philippines, although it also noted that Malaysian police and military had stepped up o­n security in these areas.

"Although the capacity of some elements of the Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) has been diminished by recent military action in the Philippines, the ASG remains a security threat to areas in Sabah, which is close to the southern Philippines."

Both the JI and the Abu Sayyaf are listed by the United Nations as extremist groups linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Last year, a diplomatic row broke out between Kuala Lumpur and Washington after the latter issued its travel warning naming Malaysia as a potential terrorist target.

In turn, Malaysian leaders had criticised the US for being "paranoid" and for not sharing information upon which the terror claims were made.