Mohammad Sharif bin Rahmat was detained for alleged links to militant groups including the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the home ministry said.

Sharif, 35, had been undergoing physical training with the JI, and was also found to be preparing for armed conflict during his involvement with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, it said.

Thirty-six people are now under indefinite detention in the city-state for their links to groups such as JI and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the main separatist group in the Philippines.

Under the ISA, detainees cases are reviewed every two years and are only released when authorities ascertain that they no longer pose a significant security threat.

In a related development, the ministry also announced the release of Ali Ridhaa bin Abdullah, who had been involved in operational reconnaissance work for the JI prior to his arrest.

Ali, a converted Muslim whose original name is Andrew Gerald, was set free after responding positively to religious counselling, a home affairs spokeswoman told AFP.

Seventeen others are under restriction orders that ban them from leaving the country without permission, latest figures provided by the ministry showed.

The Singapore government believes the city-state is a prime target for JI, which was behind the recent Bali bombings and is regarded as the major Southeast Asian affiliate of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

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