Al-Qaida in US 'may number 5,000'

US intelligence agents are watching several groups of Middle Eastern men thought to be part of a network of as many as 5,000 al-Qaida terrorists in America, it was reported today.

Men in Seattle, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta are under surveillance by the FBI and other agencies. They are all believed to be part of Osama bin Laden’s terror network.

"One estimate is that there are up to 5,000 people in the United States connected to al-Qaida," one US intelligence agent told the Washington Times.

The 5,000 figure was included in classified intelligence reports sent to government policy-makers in the last month. It is a substantial increase on previous estimates.

Earlier this year, US government officials put al-Qaida numbers in the US at more than 100 active members, with hundreds of sympathisers.

Meanwhile, US intelligence officials said they had detected signs of preparations for an attack against a cruise ship in Los Angeles in late May.

Two men were spotted at the Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Centre in San Pedro, California, about 25 miles south of central Los Angeles, US law enforcement officials told the paper.

The men were spotted as they video-taped the pier and measured it’s length by walking along it, the officials said.

The men were spotted by a dock worker, who notified police. They left the area before being identified or questioned.