Government warns of attacks against UK

Document gives outline of UK case against bin Laden

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Text of government evidence against bin laden

Blair: No doubt that bin Laden was behind attacks

Text of Prime Minister's address to Parliament

The UK government today published a 21­page document outlining its case against Osama bin Laden and the al­Qa'ida terrorist network and warned that the UK and UK citizens remain under threat and are potential targets for fresh attacks.

The document "does not purport to provide a prosecutable case" and has been sanitised to protect intelligence sources. But the Government insists in the document that bin Laden was responsible for the 11 September attacks on the United States.

It reaches four conclusions :

¿ Osama bin Laden and al­Qa'ida, the terrorist network which he heads, planned and carried out the atrocities on 11 September 2001

¿ Osama bin Laden and al­Qa'ida retain the will and resources to carry out further atrocities;

¿ The United Kingdom, and United Kingdom nationals are potential targets

¿ Osama bin Laden and al­Qa'ida were able to commit these atrocities because of their close alliance with the Taleban régime, which allowed them to operate with impunity in pursuing their terrorist activity.

The document states: "Intelligence often cannot be used evidentially, due both to the strict rules of admissibility and to the need to protect the safety of sources. But on the basis of all the information available HMG is confident of its conclusions as expressed in this document.

"Although US targets are al­Qai'da's priority, it also explicitly threatens the United States' allies. References to "Zionist­Crusader alliance and their collaborators," and to "Satan's US troops and the devil's supporters allying with them" are references which unquestionably include the United Kingdom.

"There is a continuing threat. Based on our experience of the way the network has operated in the past, other cells, like those that carried out the terrorist attacks on 11 September, must be assumed to exist," the document states.