Senate doubles Bin Laden bounty to $50 million

WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Friday doubled the bounty on the head of Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden, offering 50 million dollars for his capture or death.

The vote followed a flurry of reports that the group behind the September 11 attacks in 2001 had rebuilt much of its capacity to train and plot terror strikes and was again trying to sneak operatives into the United States.

The bill, boosting the price on Bin Laden's head under the US State Department Rewards for Justice Programme, passed by an 87-1 vote.

It directs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 'to authorise a reward of 50 million dollars for the capture or death or information leading to the capture or death of Osama bin Laden.'

North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, who wrote the amendment to a defence policy bill, said 'it has been six years, and Al-Qaeda is now rebuilding its terrorist training camps, along with the Taliban, in a safe harbour.'

"It has been six years and they are reconstituing their ability to attack us," he said.

Dorgan warned Al-Qaeda 'remains the greatest threat to the United States, even after these six long years; after two wars, after trillions of dollars spent on those wars and for homeland security, after the deaths of thousands of our military, and after the wounding of tens of thousands of our military."

Senators who spoke on the amendment mentioned a leaked draft of a new National Intelligence Estimate, which reportedly warned Al-Qaeda had rebuilt a safe haven and leadership in Pakistani border areas.

As debate about a possible future attack by Al-Qaeda on US territory mounted in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said this week that he had a 'gut' feeling there was a heightened current risk of an attack.

President George W Bush on Thursday denied reports that the intelligence assessment found Al-Qaeda was back to its pre-September 11 strength.

"There is a perception in the coverage that Al-Qaeda may be as strong today as they were prior to September 11th. That's simply not the case," Bush said.

The 'Washington Post' reported on Thursday that the group had rebuilt itself despite extensive US efforts to destroy the network.

The CIA's deputy director for intelligence, John Kringen, told a congressional committee on Wednesday that Al-Qaeda appears to be 'fairly well-settled into the safe haven in the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan.'