Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is also Singapore's Defence Minister, said some of the detainees were "national servicemen", but none held senior posts. Some members were still at large, he said.

He did not specify whether those held were active soldiers or reservists.

Speaking at a community function, Mr Tan said the group was planning to strike "strategic targets" including military installations and embassy compounds.

On Saturday, the government announced its security services had broken up a terrorist network and taken 15 people into custody under the Internal Security Act, which permits detention without trial. The suspects were detained between December 9 and 24.

Singapore radio quoted Mr Tan as saying the city-state was vulnerable to terrorist attacks because of its close ties to the United States.

It has offered unwavering support to Washington's war on terrorism, including the use of military facilities in Singapore.

"International terrorist networks, including the al-Qaeda, have not yet been entirely dismantled," Mr Tan said. "We also have to be vigilant to guard against elements or developments which may threaten our social cohesion in Singapore."

News of a possible terrorist cell in Singapore has shocked its citizens, who are more used to hearing reports of radicals operating out of neighbouring Malaysia or Indonesia.

Fourteen of the suspects are Singaporeans, while the fifteenth is a Malaysian. News of the arrests came a day after Malaysian authorities said they were holding 13 people with possible links to Osama bin Laden.

The Singapore authorities have not stated explicitly that the suspects are Muslims, but local media have reported that they are. About 10 per cent of Singapore's 3.2 million people are Malay Muslims, and their relations with the majority ethnic Chinese population is a topic of great sensitivity.

In recent years, there have been suggestions - dismissed by the Government - that the Singaporean military discriminates against Muslim Singaporeans.

Local leaders urged Singaporeans to be tolerant of Malay Muslims. Abdullah Tarmugi, the minister in charge of Muslim affairs, was quoted in local papers yesterday as saying Singaporeans should not "think that as long as you're Muslim, you're involved" in terrorism.

The detainees are being held under Section 74 of the Internal Security Act, a powerfully worded statute that gives the authorities broad powers to act against those suspected of destabilising Singapore.

The suspects were alleged to be members of an organisation called Jemaah Islamiah and to have received al-Qaeda training in Afghanistan. Officials said they had seized bomb-making instructions, al-Qaeda-linked material and surveillance photographs and video footage of targets in Singapore.

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