The Director of the CIA has told a US Congressional Committee that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, and other groups, are planning further attacks against the United States and American targets around the world.
In his first appearance before Congress since the 11 September attacks, George Tenet said conventional weapons were most likely to be used, but he claimed documents recovered in Afghanistan showed that al Qaeda was pursuing a sophisticated biological weapons research programme.
In a separate development, the American man accused of fighting alongside the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan has been charged with conspiring to kill other United States citizens.
It is the latest stage in the case of 20-year-old John Walker Lindh, who has yet to enter a plea. The American Attorney-General, John Ashcroft, said if convicted Lindh could face multiple life prison sentences.
