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SINGAPORE, Jan 26 (AFP) - Singapore is fully capable of dealing with any terrorist threats, President S.R. Nathan said Saturday in the wake of last month's detention of 13 suspected al-Qaeda members.

Speaking at a commissioning ceremony for officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Nathan said the arrests were a "timely reminder" for Singaporeans not to take their security for granted.

"But we should also be re-assured that with a strong total defence, we will be able to deal with such terrorist threats and stay on top of the situation," he said.

Terrorist attacks like the September 11 strikes that killed 3,000 people in the United States "not only harm innocent lives but also threaten to tear a society apart," he said.

The city-state's defence strategy ensures that it has the "wherewithal to deal effectively with a direct threat and attack on Singapore and Singaporeans", the president added.

The government has said the 13 detained last month under the Internal Security Act had plotted to blow up American targets in Singapore, including the US embassy.

Some of them had trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and are alleged to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist group based in Southeast Asia which is linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

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