The Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz, has contradicted reports that the Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden, masterminded two bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996.

Speaking to a Kuwaiti newspaper, Prince Nayef said it was possible, however, that the attacks were carried out by people influenced by Mr bin Laden's ideas.

The bombings killed twenty-four American servicemen in Riyadh and Dhahran and were widely seen as directed at the American military presence in Saudi Arabia.

The BBC's Middle East analyst says Prince Nayef's comments seem designed to undermine Mr bin Laden's standing among militants.

Mr bin Laden has also been accused of the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania last August.