Thermos flask 'bomb' found in raid

Authorities in the US are on the watch for a new kind of terrorist weapon - the Thermos bomb.

In one of the the most specific warnings issued since the 11 September attacks, US immigration officials have ordered that all Yemeni nationals, except those carrying diplomatic passports, be searched before entering or leaving the US, with particular attention given to whether they are carrying Thermos flasks.

In a memo circulated to all ports of entry and exit, and at border stations, immigration agents have been told to look for large sums of currency, night vision goggles and the flasks. Under no circumstances, they have been warned, are they to open and flask found.

These orders come after a recent raid somewhere in the north-east of the US, of an apartment occupied by a numberof Yemeni nationals, according to CBS. FBI agents discovered "dozens" of Thermos flasks, some rigged with batteries. Wire was also found. These components, the FBI says, could have been used to make bombs.

Yemen has been a haven for al Qaeda operatives. Less than a year before 11 September terrorists blew up an American ship, the USS Cole, at a Yemen port. President Bush has said there is a "full-scale manhunt" for those planning terror attacks on America. "We will run down every lead, every hint," he told reporters.

The Bush administration is determined not to run the risk of being seen as lax in checking and coordinating all intelligence about terrorist attacks, mindful of the public reaction to revelations that the 11 September strikes could have been prevented if the intelligence agencies had been more alert and more suspicious.

Meanwhile, Britain's new 6.000 strong anti-terrorist force is due to be announced today by Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon.

The force will be drawn from volunteers in the Territorial Army and will be tasked to defend vital installations in times of threat from terrorist attack.

Reservists from the Royal Marines as well as the Army will be called out to protect sensitive installations such as atomic power stations, airports, and sites like GCHQ in Cheltenham - Britain's main listening post.

The force will be part of the new package of defence policies and measures due to be announced in a few weeks' time as the UK's response to the new threats of global terrorism.

Under the new scenario, which will be enshrined in a new section to the Government's Strategic Defence Review of 1998, Britain's forces must be prepared to assist their allies in "up to six small wars or anti-terrorist operations at the same time" according to one Whitehall defence adviser.

Patrick Sawer writes: MI5 warned the Royal Navy "weeks ago" that al Qaeda terrorists inside Morocco were planning to attack British and US ships in the Strait of Gibraltar, it emerged today.

News of the warning comes as the extent of the Moroccan connection to al Qaeda becomes increasingly clear. The operation to arrest the terrorist cell involved close liaison between British, French, Spanish and US intelligence.