LONDON, Oct 29 (KUNA) -- Al-Qaeda planned to take hostages in Mumbai-style attacks on Britain, France and Germany to demand the release of the mastermind of the September 11 atrocities, according to a former associate of Osama bin Laden Friday. Noman Benotman said that bin Laden wanted to force the Americans to release Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is awaiting trial for his part in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Benotman, a Libyan and former Afghanistan terrorist camp trainer, said that he was present at several discussions about the plot and believed it has now been reactivated. Osama bin Laden 'living comfortably in Pakistan' he said: "I have information that I consider to be reliable, according to which al-Qaeda in North Waziristan is training how to carry out multipleparallel hostage takings in order to enforce the release of a prisoner." Bentomans claims are backed by separate developments in al-Qaedas command structure, which suggest it is preparing for a major operation, the paper added. Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi, who is counted among al-Qaedas most sophisticated planners, has rejoined the terrorist group after he was freed in return for Iranian diplomats kidnapped by the organisation. Adnan al-Shukrijuma, an al-Qaeda operative, has been given a senior operational role, made responsible for training teams for attacks on Western targets. Counter-terrorism experts say Benotmans claims deserve attention. Berlin-based Guido Steinberg, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said: "In the past all of his information proved to be right.
" Now based in London, Benotman is a consultant with the Quilliam Foundation, which monitors the activities of violent Islamist groups. He was a ranking member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), an al-Qaeda affiliate founded in 1995 by Libyan jihadists who had fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan. In 2001 though, Benotman broke with al-Qaeda after bin Laden rejected the LIFGs calls for an end to strikes outside Afghanistan. Intelligence suggesting that an al-Qaeda commander boasted that he had sent terrorists to Britain and Germany as part of a Mumbai-style plot caused an alert across Europe last month, although no evidence of attack planning has been uncovered. Ahmed Siddiqi, a German national, was arrested in Afghanistan in July and told US interrogators about the plot, the Telegraph went on. The key members of the team are thought to include Shahab Dashti, a German of Iranian descend who featured in a 2009 jihadist video calling on Western Muslims to support al-Qaeda. Rami Makanesi, a German of Syrian origin, is also believed by US and European intelligence services to be a member of the group. European intelligence officials believe Siddiqi and other members of the team were recruited by Naamen Meziche, a French national of Algerian origin, from a Hamburg mosque. Mamoun Darkazanli, a German who led prayers at the mosque, was identified by the 9/11 Commission as having links to al-Qaeda. In 2003, Spain sought his extradition from Germany on charges of membership of al-Qaeda, the paper concluded. (end) he.mt KUNA 291236 Oct 10NNNN