The United State's Senate has voted to double the reward for the death or capture of Osama bin Laden in connection with the 11 September attacks.
The bounty now stands at $50m, which is equivalent to €36.5m.
President George W Bush and the House of Representatives will have to back the measure before it could become law.
The vote in Congress comes amid warnings that al-Qaeda has rebuilt its capacity to mount attacks and is trying to insert agents into the US.
Intelligence analysts told Congress earlier this week that al-Qaeda had established a safe haven in remote parts of Pakistan.
A leaked draft of a new US intelligence report says al-Qaeda is at its strongest since just before the 11 September attacks.
