Police investigations show there are no al-Qaeda cells operating in Malaysia, although members of the organisation had passed through the country, parliament was told today.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said it had been established that several al-Qaeda members had entered Malaysia at one time or another before the attacks in the United States on Sept 11.

The attacks have been blamed on al-Qaeda, headed by Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden.

The al-Qaeda members visited probably to establish links with certain individuals, the official Bernama news agency quoted Abdullah, who is also Home Minister, as telling parliament.

Local militant trained

"The government nevertheless acted firmly in identifying their aims and foiling their attempts by detaining several members of the second wing of the KMM (Malaysian Militant Group)," he said.

Malaysia says the KMM is a group of local militants trained in Afghanistan to overthrow the government by force.

Abdullah said that between Dec 9 last year and Jan 24, more than 30 people involved in the KMM had been detained. They are held without trial under the Internal Security Act, which allows for indefinite detention.

Foreign news reports last month said a secret US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report accused Malaysia of being a "primary operational launchpad" for the Sept 11 attacks.

The charge has been dismissed as exaggerated by western intelligence sources here, and the US embassy regularly praises Malaysia for its cooperation in the "war against terrorism".