Al Qaeda 'held terror summit'

Members of Osama bin Laden's terror network held a summit in the Lebanon with militant groups to plot a combined war against Britain and other Western countries, according to US intelligence officials.

Leaders of al Qaeda, the militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and a handful of other outlaw organisations met in March for the first time, ABC news reported today.

Such a large-scale conspiracy is one of the factors behind new fears in the White House of forthcoming acts of sabotage and warnings to the American people that terror is coming - "not if, but when".

FBI Director Robert Mueller told Americans to expect suicide bombings of the sort inflicted on Israel. "I think we will see that in the future," Mr Mueller said in a speech to lawyers. "I think it is inevitable. I wish I could be more optimistic."

At the Lebanon summit, the terror groups discussed tactics and the possibility of an unprecedented level of joint activity, ABC said. That includes a possible new round of attacks on America and Britain.

The meeting marks the first time Bin Laden's network has shelved its differences with other terror groups to work with them. "It suggests a new departure which is very startling and dangerous because they have not worked together before," said Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA chief of counterintelligence.

US officials said the level of " chatter", communications intercepts among al Qaeda members, is as high as it was in the months before the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.

The FBI warned that terrorists may start renting residential apartments and pack them with explosives to destroy buildings. Some apartment complex managers are now posting notices in the lobby warning of such a possibility. A Washington Post poll shows that more than half of Americans do not have full confidence in the government's ability to protect them from new terrorist attacks.

It follows a new warning from vice-president Dick Cheney that future acts of terrorism in the US are "almost a certainty".

Fewer than half, 46 per cent, said they were confident that terror can be stopped.

But the survey finds that President Bush remains popular, even with people who find fault with the handling of the terrorism crisis. More than 60 per cent approve of the job he is doing as president.