Intelligence agents find attack plans on computer

Authorities have also arrested 'a very wanted man.'
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani intelligence agents found plans for new attacks against the United States and Britain on a computer seized during the arrest of a senior Al-Qaida suspect wanted for the 1998 twin U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa, the information minister said.
The plans were found in e-mails on the computer of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian arrested July 25 after a 12-hour gunbattle in the eastern city of Gujrat, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press today.
Thanked Pakistan
Ahmed would not confirm whether the information from Ghailani is what prompted U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to issue a warning Sunday about a possible Al-Qaida attack on financial institutions in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J. However, Ridge specifically thanked Pakistan for its help in the war on terror during his press conference.
"We got a few e-mails from Ghailani's computer about [plans for] attacks in the U.S. and U.K.," Ahmed said, adding that the information has been shared with Pakistan's allies -- a reference to the United States.
Ahmed said authorities have also arrested another top suspect believed to be a computer and communications expert, and that that man was cooperating with investigators.
"He is a very wanted man, but I cannot say his name now," Ahmed said. He said the man was a militant, but refused to say if he was part of Al-Qaida.
Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat confirmed that Ghailani was sharing "vital" information, but he would not comment on what it was.
"He has given us vital information, but we cannot share specifics," Hayyat said. An intelligence official said the information about a U.S. attack appeared to be centered on New York. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hayyat said Ghailani remains in Pakistani custody.
The Home Office in London, which is responsible for policing and security in Britain, had no immediate comment on the computer seizure.
Found in home
Two AK-47 rifles, plastic chemicals, two computers, computer diskettes, and a "large amount" of foreign currency were recovered from the home in Gujrat where Ghailani was seized. More than a dozen others, including his wife and several children, were also arrested in that raid.
Officials believe the group was making plans to flee Pakistan on false passports. Gujrat is a center for document forgers and human smugglers in Pakistan.
The intelligence official also confirmed the arrest of a computer engineer who would send messages using code words to Al-Qaida suspects. Pakistani television reported that his name was Noor Mohammed, but the official said that was just an alias.
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