US attacks 'cost only £200,000'

The 11 September terrorist attacks cost Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network less than £200,000 to orchestrate, according to new figures released by the FBI.

The total cost shows how well the terrorists managed their money while in the US.

"They were operating in a very normal way. They didn't stand out," said FBI counterterrorism special agent Steven Garfinkle. The investigation of the hijackers' finances revealed the 19 Bin Laden agents who died on board the hijacked planes received $303,000.

Meanwhile, George Bush's presidency is facing a public opinion backlash after a new round of "vague and unhelpful" terrorist attack warnings.

US Vice-President Dick Cheney has said that another terrorist attack was certain "whether this year, or next year, or after that - but it will happen."

Members of Congress are using his televised warnings as ammunition for their criticism of US intelligence agencies, especially the FBI and the CIA, for failing to act on information received before 11 September.