Malaysia has detected a new militant group active in the country similar to the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah extremist group, a minister said yesterday.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar refused to give any specific details but said the group's members and their activities were currently being monitored.
"There has been a case which is being studied in detail by the Home Ministry," Noh was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency, adding that further details could not be revealed.

He said the size of the group and its network were being investigated and that authorities were mulling the use of the Internal Security Act which allows authorities to detain suspects indefinitely.

Malaysia is already holding more than 90 alleged Muslim militants under the act.

Violent overthrow

Noh was responding to a question on whether there were groups operating in the country other than the JI network and the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia, a radical Islamic movement accused of plotting the violent overthrow of the government.

Many of them are suspected members of JI, which has been blamed for a string of attacks including the 2002 Bali bombing which killed 202 people, mainly tourists.