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.
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.
"The United States may also have been in bin-Laden's sights," NPR said.
"We know that Osama bin-Laden issued the directive," said an officer familiar with the intelligence surrounding the plot.
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.
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.
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.
"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.