Ethiopian police on Monday said they had arrested eight suspected al-Qaeda members who were planning terrorist attacks.

Police's national intelligence and security service taskforce said the suspects were arrested after they were found "organising, providing training and educating recruits with assistance from the East Africa al-Qaeda group."

According to a statement, the suspects had links with al-Qaeda cells in various parts of the world.

"The terrorist cell in Ethiopia have strong links with the Somali terror group, Al-Shabab and al-queda terrorist cells in Kenya, Sudan, Philippines, Saudi Arabaia and South Africa," the taskforce said.

The identity of the suspects has not been revealed and no further details on the case were immediately available.

In the past, Ethiopia has blamed its neighbour Eritrea for terrorist attacks on its territory.

But after its intervention in the Somalia war where it sent troops to back the transitional government last month, there have been fears of attacks by al-Qaeda and al-Shabab militants.

Ethiopia was making its second foray into Somalia after the December 2006 intervention saw the overthrow of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which had been in power in Mogadishu for a few months.

Al Shabab threatened to retaliate.