Man charged for 'Bush death plot'

Mr Abu Ali said he was tortured during detention in Saudi Arabia

A US citizen formerly detained in Saudi Arabia has been charged with conspiring to assassinate President Bush.

An indictment read out in a US district court in the state of Virginia said Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, had discussed two scenarios with a co-conspirator.

It was proposed that Mr Abu Ali would shoot Mr Bush on the street or detonate a car bomb, the indictment said.

The alleged conspirator told the court he had been tortured during his detention, which began in June 2003.

'Handcuffed for days'

Mr Abu Ali, who was making his first appearance at the court, did not enter a plea.

He offered via his lawyer to show the judge scars he had apparently received.

"He has the evidence on his back," Ashraf Nubani told the court, quoted by the Associated Press news agency. "He was whipped. He was handcuffed for days at a time."

He was charged with five other counts involving links to terrorism and the al-Qaeda network.

Federal prosecutors say Mr Abu Ali, who was born in Houston, joined an al-Qaeda cell in Saudi Arabia 2001 and the plot was discussed while he was studying there.

He is said to have received religious blessing for the plot.

His departure from Saudi Arabia had not been publicly disclosed before his court appearance.

The White House has made no comment on the charges.