<p>Bin-Laden believed deep in hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan used couriers to send messages to al-Qaeda affiliates and partners several months ago, telling them he would like to see a Mumbai-style attack on at least three strategic targets - the UK, Germany and France, the US National Public Radio (NPR) said citing American officials.<br /><br />The radio said gunmen planned to fire at busy European tourist sites and take over hotels in a plot that would mark a new style of attack for al-Qaeda.<br /><br />"The United States may also have been in bin-Laden's sights," NPR said.<br />"We know that Osama bin-Laden issued the directive," said an officer familiar with the intelligence surrounding the plot.<br /><br />The public radio said that initial tip-off about the plot came from Ahmed Siddiqui, a German national currently being held at the US run Bagram air base near Kabul in Afghanistan.<br />The German has been flagged off as someone of interest to counterterrorism officials as he allegedly knew one of the 9/11 attackers Mohammad Atta with whom he worshipped at a mosque in Germany.<br /><br />Siddiqui, US officials said, is a member of an al-Qaeda affiliate Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who told interrogators that he was trained in Pakistan by the Haqqani network.<br />"If the Haqqani network is involved that means that al-Qaeda has picked up the plot from the Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba," US officials said.</p>
<p>Bin-Laden believed deep in hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan used couriers to send messages to al-Qaeda affiliates and partners several months ago, telling them he would like to see a Mumbai-style attack on at least three strategic targets - the UK, Germany and France, the US National Public Radio (NPR) said citing American officials.<br /><br />The radio said gunmen planned to fire at busy European tourist sites and take over hotels in a plot that would mark a new style of attack for al-Qaeda.<br /><br />"The United States may also have been in bin-Laden's sights," NPR said.<br />"We know that Osama bin-Laden issued the directive," said an officer familiar with the intelligence surrounding the plot.<br /><br />The public radio said that initial tip-off about the plot came from Ahmed Siddiqui, a German national currently being held at the US run Bagram air base near Kabul in Afghanistan.<br />The German has been flagged off as someone of interest to counterterrorism officials as he allegedly knew one of the 9/11 attackers Mohammad Atta with whom he worshipped at a mosque in Germany.<br /><br />Siddiqui, US officials said, is a member of an al-Qaeda affiliate Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who told interrogators that he was trained in Pakistan by the Haqqani network.<br />"If the Haqqani network is involved that means that al-Qaeda has picked up the plot from the Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba," US officials said.</p>