KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police have detained three terror suspects under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly trying to revive the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group here, a report said on Friday.

The trio, aged between 43 and 53, are believed to have met Singaporean militant Mas Selamat Kastari, who was captured in Johor in April after escaping from detention in Singapore, The Star newspaper said.

Mas Selamat is said to be the head of the Singapore cell of JI, an underground group linked to Al Qaeda and blamed for the 2002 Bali bombing and other attacks in South-east Asia.

"I confirm the arrests but I cannot reveal anything further," said police chief Musa Hassan. "They are arrested under the preventive laws."

The report said the three men, believed to be ordinary JI members, were arrested by police last week in Johor after months of investigations.

Police are trying to determine if they recruited any more members in recent months.

Prior to the latest arrests, the Home Ministry said last week that 12 people were being held under the ISA. AFP

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