Bin Laden lieutenant 'gave warnings'

The Statue of Liberty: Is it the next target?

Captured al-Qaeda commander Abu Zubaydah was the source of warnings of terror attacks on the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, it has been claimed.

Abu Zubaydah has also backed up reports that the United Airlines Flight 93 - which crashed into a field in Pennsylvania on 11 September - was intended for the White House, according to US officials speaking anonymously.

Abu Zubaydah: Being held in a secret location

Abu Zubaydah - described as a key member of Osama bin Laden's inner circle - was arrested in Pakistan in March and is now being questioned by the FBI and the CIA at an unknown location.

His warnings led to the cancellation of the Brooklyn's Bridge's 119th birthday celebrations.

Officials say that the level of response is testament to Abu Zubaydah's standing in al-Qaeda.

But they add that no warnings are sent out before they are cross-checked with other sources.

"He has told us things we didn't know before that we subsequently were able to confirm," one senior official told the Associate Press news agency.

Sentenced to death

Other Zubaydah-sourced threats include the warning of attacks on banks in the north-eastern US last month.

He has also warned of a so-called "dirty bomb" that spreads harmful radioactive substances, but does not ignite a nuclear detonation.

Abu Zubaydah - also known as Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husain and Abd Al-Hadi Al-Wahab - serves as Bin Laden's senior field commander.

Patrols on the Brooklyn Bridge have been stepped up

He is believed to have been born of Palestinian parents in Saudi Arabia, and has strong connections with Jordan and Palestinian groups.

Abu Zubaydah has been sentenced to death in Jordan, and is believed to have links to many of al-Qaeda's anti-US operations.

US officials say he knows the names, faces and locations of al-Qaeda operatives the world over and may even know the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden if he is still alive.

The latest revelations came as a new warning was issued of an attack on US railways.

But a US official told Reuters news agency it was not believed to have come from Abu Zubaydah.