Terror suspect in Morocco 'holds key to al-Qa'ida'

The alleged senior al-Qa'ida recruiter known as "the Bear", currently being questioned by Moroccan authorities over a plot to attack US and British warships, is believed to have a mass of knowledge on the network's operations.

American officials with access to information he is providing said Abu Zubair al-Haili, a Saudi citizen who weighs more than 300lb (135kg), was central to al-Qa'ida's international recruiting network, accepting recruits into training and placing them in overseas cells. He is also said to have been a close associate of Abu Zubeida, an alleged al-Qa'ida leader currently in US custody after being arrested in Pakistan.

Before 11 September Mr Haili is said to have run some of Osama bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan. During the war against the Taliban he is believed to have helped al-Qa'ida operatives escape from the country.

The Moroccan Justice Ministry said Mr Haili was one of three Saudis arrested while plotting to attack warships in the Strait of Gibraltar. He has not been linked to specific terrorist acts, but officials said his knowledge of al-Qa'ida operationsand terrorist cells would be very useful to interrogators.

Among those arrested in Morocco earlier this month is Mohammed Haydar Zammar, who allegedly recruited the main 11 September hijacker, Mohamed Atta, in Germany. Mr Zammar, a German of Syrian descent, is being questioned by officials in Syria, who have been sharing the information with America.

Mr Zammar, a former locksmith, was in Hamburg with Atta and other members of his cell, including the hijackers Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah. He also is believed to have introduced Atta to al- Qa'ida leaders in Afghanistan. Atta, who was an architecture student when he was recruited, wrote his thesis on the ancient city of Aleppo in Syria, Mr Zammar's home.

"He was the pivot of the Hamburg cell," an Arab source told The Washington Post. "His role was crucial as recruiter and his relations with bin Laden were close. We are also certain he was going to install sleeper cells in north Africa."

Germany has asked Syria for access to Mr Zammar. "We are pursuing the news that he is in a Syrian jail but do not have any confirmation," said a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman. "We have asked about it and are still asking."