Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in his message of condolence to Britain that the attacks on London showed the world needed to work with greater resolve to combat terrorism, official media reported Saturday.

Abdullah described Thursday's bombings, which killed at least 50 people and injured about 700, as "an attack against humanity and a global menace which must be eliminated," the official Bernama news agency said.

"We must work together with greater resolve and determination to deal with this problem and to win the fight against terrorism so that our people could live in a safe and peaceful world," Abdullah was quoted as saying in the message to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Separately, Abdullah told reporters the government would continue to monitor developments concerning the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network to ensure Malaysia remained safe.

"We will continue to ensure the level of security in the country remains high," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

Regional security

Abdullah, who was asked if JI remained a threat to the region, said regional security depended upon security arrangements in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

"It's our hope that the region will be safe and peaceful as this is important to ensure the future growth of Asean," he said.

"There is nothing in Malaysia to worry about. God willing, it will be safe," he said.

The government of mainly Muslim Malaysia is holding 102 people in detention without trial under the harsh Internal Security Act, more than 80 of whom are alleged Muslim militants.

Many 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.