The United States has warned that terrorists affiliated with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network may be planning new attacks o­n US citizens and interests in Malaysia.

The threat is particularly high in the state of Sabah where members of the banned Jemaah Islamiya group, which is linked to al-Qaeda, have been active, the State Department said in a statement.

"JI and other extremist groups present in the region have demonstrated transnational capabilities to carry out attacks against locations where Westerners congregate," it said.