Al Qaeda plot 'is years old'

Captured al Qaeda plans that sparked a terror alert in the US and Britain are now said to be several years old.

The plot to blow up key financial institutions, including the World Bank in Washington and New York's Stock Exchange, were reportedly drawn up even before the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"There is nothing that we're hearing that is new," said one law enforcement source.

A Home Office spokesman said there was "no specific terror threat" in the UK, although the country was in a "state of heightened readiness".

The plans were contained in emails found on a computer belonging to Ahmed Ghailani, who was arrested in Pakistan last month over the 1998 US embassy bombings in Africa.

They led to tighter security in several US cities yesterday with named buildings given armed guards. President Bush praised the decision, saying it was "a serious business".