FBI clues point to bin Laden

Harrowing cellphone calls from victims aboard the hijacked planes have provided investigators with early clues to who was responsible for the worst terrorist attack in history.

The desperate calls, together with communications intercepted by United States intelligence agencies, were last night leaving officials with one main suspect, Saudi exile Osama bin Laden.

Senior Republican senator Orrin Hatch confirmed yesterday that intelligence reports of conversations between bin Laden supporters had given officials an early indication that the 44-year-old was involved in planning the hijacking of four planes which crashed into New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

"They have an intercept of some information that included people associated with bin Laden who acknowledged a couple of targets were hit," Mr Hatch said after being briefed by the FBI and intelligence officials.

Mr Hatch also said law enforcement agents had details possibly linking one person on one of the four ill-fated flights to bin Laden's organisation.

Government and industry officials said at least one flight attendant and two passengers called from three of the planes as they were being forced down in New York and Washington - each describing similar circumstances.

The callers indicated hijackers armed with knives, in some cases stabbing flight attendants, took control of the plane and were forcing them down toward the ground.

"This apparently was well-planned over a number of years, planned by real pros and experts," said Mr Hatch. "The belief is, at least initially, that this looks like Osama bin Laden's signature."

Holed up in Afghanistan, bin Laden has already been accused of other terrorist acts against the US, including the simultaneous bombing of two East African embassies three years ago.

Leaders of Afghanistan's ruling Islamic militia, the Taleban, played down the indications of bin Laden's involvement.

"We have tried our best in the past - and we are willing in the future - to assure the United States in any kind of way we can that Osama is not involved in these kinds of activities," said Taleban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil.

Whoever masterminded the attacks has exposed major lapses in security on US flights.

Larry Johnson, a counter-terrorism expert formerly with the State Department, said the hijackers probably targeted domestic flights for all the attacks because security is less strict.

It probably took at least two terrorists to hijack each of the planes, Mr Johnson said. The hijackers could have forced crew members to open the cockpit doors by threatening to detonate explosives, or - as the on-flight cellphone calls indicate - by attacking them with knives.

Federal regulations allow passengers to carry on knives with a blade length of up to 4 inches (10cm).

Experts also believed the Boeing 757s and 767s were chosen for the attacks because they have large fuel capacities.

The two flights which slammed into the World Trade Center took off from Boston bound for Los Angeles, but quickly diverted south to Manhattan. They covered the distance from Boston airport in minutes.

Both planes were tracked by radar leaving their flight paths, but they were not challenged.

Teams of investigators began sifting through the rubble of the disaster scenes early yesterday, looking for the types of forensic material which proved valuable in the case against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

The black boxes of each plane are also likely to yield key clues.

- AGENCIES

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