September 11 suspect captured in shoot-out

A suspected organiser of the September 11 attacks has been captured in a shoot-out in Pakistan, according to US officials.

Ramzi Binalshibh, 30, is allegedly one of the so-called "20th hijackers" who carried out the attacks on New York and Washington DC.

He is accused of working closely with Mohammed Atta's cell in Hamburg, Germany.

US sources claim Mr Binalshibh had tried to get a visa to enter the US in 2000 and after failing, provided financial support to the other 19 hijackers.

Officials say he was captured earlier this week in a joint raid by Pakistani and US forces in Karachi. The raid ended in a deadly shootout.

The German government has been hunting the suspect - who was born in Yemen - for his alleged role in the September 11 attacks.

The Arab satellite network Al-Jazeera ran a taped interview with Mr Binalshibh on Thursday, in which he allegedly said he helped co-ordinate the attacks. Also interviewed was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who US counter terrorism officials say masterminded the strikes.

It is claimed he also appeared in a videotape recovered by US forces in Afghanistan at the home of al Qaida's dead military chief, Mohammed Atef.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that five al-Qaida suspects captured in Karachi are in Pakistani custody at a well-guarded safe house in the city.

But Pakistani officials have refused to confirm the identities of the men they captured in the four-hour shootout, or to say whether Binalshibh was one of them.