Ten more suspected members of Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia have been detained under the Internal Security Act for their alleged involvement in militant activities aimed at toppling the government.

According to Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai, the police will press on with its operations to "neutralise" all the estimated 200 suspected KMM members.

Norian also revealed that the KMM members are believed to have ties with al-Qaeda, the terror network run by Osama bin Laden, who is the chief suspect behind the attacks in the United States on Sept 11.

The police chief was speaking at a press conference at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

National news agency Bernama reported that the 10 were arrested between Jan 5 and Jan 21 during the second phase of operations, following the earlier arrest of 13 suspected KMM members between Dec 9 last year and Jan 3 this year.

According to the police, 13 of the detainees were traders, three were government servants, three UTM lecturers, two taxi drivers, one factory worker and one private religious school teacher.

Thirteen of those arrested were local university graduates while six others studied overseas. Among the group were four Indonesians and three Singaporeans with permanent residency status here.

"We have established a close link between KMM and the militant Jemaah Islamiyah group in Singapore that planned to attack US targets in the republic," Norian was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times online version today.

Last month, Singapore authorities arrested 13 members of Jemaah Islamiyah under the ISA for alleged militant activities.

Foreign training

Bernama also quoted Norian as saying that investigations revealed that 19 of those arrested received military training abroad.

Ten of them were allegedly trained in Afghanistan and the rest at Camp Abu Bakar and Camp Udaibiah in Mindanao, southern Philippines.

"Camp Abu Bakar is a military camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)," said the police chief.

"We found that they have links in Indonesia, Singapore and southern Philippines. They perceive their activities in a wider perspective, regionally and not confined to Malaysia," he said.

Norian added that the group members also underwent tough outdoor training in places like the jungle and coastal areas of Selangor and Johor to boost their mental and physical capabilities.

Explosive substance

The police also confirmed today that KMM had purchased four tonnes of ammonium nitrate but is certain that the material, which can be used to make a bomb, is no longer in the country.

"Don't ask me where the substance is now ... what I know for sure is that the explosive substance has been taken out of our country," he said.

"Four tonnes of the substance can be divided in 80 bags of 50kg each ... not that many," he said when asked how the substance could have been smuggled out of the country.

Last year police detained 15 other members of KMM, including PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat's son, under the ISA over their alleged plot to topple the government.

However earlier this month, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the KMM operated in different cells and there is possibility the cells do not know each other.