June 10, 2002	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28,1423

SINGAPORE, June 9: The Hizbollah militia group were planning to bomb US and Israeli ships in Singapore five years ago, local reports said over the weekend.

Five Singaporeans were recruited by the Middle Eastern group for special classes held here and in the Malaysian state of Johor, the Internal Security Department told local media. The five men were asked to take pictures of the US and Israeli embassies but they refused and subsequently left the group, the Sunday Times reported.

But Hizbollah members continued to carry out surveillance of the Singapore coastline in 1995 to plan their attacks.

Last year, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said a Middle Eastern group tried to recruit five Singaporeans but the identity of the group was not known until the ISD reportedly revealed it over the weekend.—AFP