Singapore said on Monday that it has detained an assistant child-care worker suspected of trying to join the Islamic State and finding a militant husband in Syria.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs said Izzah the suspect, Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, 22, is being held under a tough security law the Internal Security Act, a colonial-era law that allows authorities to detain anyone seen as a threat to security for up to two years.

The detention of the first Singaporean woman for suspected Islamist radicalism comes as concern is growing about the spread of Islamic State in the region.

Singapore and its neighbours recently began intelligence cooperation aimed at stemming the movement of militants across their borders.

The island city-state off southern Malaysia has reiterated over the past year that it is a target of Islamist groups and has urged the public to be alert.