Police have arrested members of a terrorist suicide bombing squad, Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai said Tuesday.

He gave no further details at a news conference at which he also announced that four more suspected Islamic militants had been detained.

It was not clear whether the suicide bombers were among the four arrested.

The government has detained a total of more than 70 alleged Islamic militants since the middle of last year, holding them under the Internal Security Act which allows indefinite detention without trial.

Norian said the four men arrested were among eight suspects wanted by police for involvement in the terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiah (JI), which has been blamed for the Bali bomb attack last month.

"We have arrested...leaving only four," he told reporters when questioned on police progress in tracking down the eight.

Asked about the threat of suicide bombers in Southeast Asia following the Bali blast, in which more than 190 people were killed, he said: "In this country, we have arrested a few who are members of a suicide bombing squad.

"They are members of an organisation that is involved in terrorist activities."

A senior security official told AFP that the four were arrested earlier this month in southern Johor state.

No info on Malaysian bomber

"These four and others have taken the oath to do anything their leaders say and they are willing to die as martyrs," he said without elaborating.

Norian said the government had no information that one of its citizens was involved in the Bali bombing.

He was responding to a question about a Time magazine report which named a Malaysian identified as Zubair as one of three "critical" suspects being hunted over the bombing.

Time said the other two were Syafullah, a senior al-Qaeda operative from Yemen, and an Indonesian named Syawal.

"So far there is no substantial information on the involvement of a Malaysian in the Bali bombing," Norian said.

"We are maintaining very close contact with Indonesian police, in particular the intelligence department. Of course if we have the information, we will do the necessary follow-up in our country."

Asked about a recent US warning that Malaysia itself could be hit by a Bali-style terrorist attack, Norian said he had not received any new intelligence but did not rule out the possibility.

"I cannot give 100 percent guarantee there is no threat to this country, but we are working very hard and taking the necessary steps to counter this threat," he said. AFP