Investigation: German intelligence adds evidence

SUMMARY:

German intelligence intercepted a phone call September 11 after the terrorist attacks on the United States in which two followers of Osama bin Laden applauded the deadly assaults, a German intelligence official said.

And NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said Tuesday the United States has presented "compelling and conclusive" evidence that the terror attacks on the U.S. were the work of bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

The nation of Yemen, meanwhile, has "one of the most significant" al Qaeda organizational links "in the world," comprised mostly of Yemenis who received military training in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said.

UPDATE:

One of the individuals in the phone call that a German intelligence official reported picking up made a reference to having "sent 30," but it was unclear whether that was a reference to the number of people involved in the terorist plot. There were 19 suspected hijackers who died with their victims.(Full story)

The United States presented its case both to NATO leaders and to Pakistan on Tuesday. NATO Secretary-General Robertson said the proof offered at a classified briefing Tuesday means that the NATO nations now fully consider the attack on the United States as an attack on them all. (Full story)

French sources told CNN that a French-Algerian arrested in Dubai has told prosecutors that he was recruited and trained by a key aide to bin Laden and his target was the U.S. Embassy in Paris. The office of the magistrate investigating the matter would neither confirm nor deny the reports of a confession by Djamel Begal. (Full story)

The hunt for suspects in the terrorist attacks has focused on al Qaeda. Diplomatic sources said thousands of al Qaeda members are living in Middle Eastern nation of Yemen and are capable of launching "uncoordinated or coordinated attacks." (Full story)

Al Qaeda is the group headed by bin Laden -- living under Taliban protection in Afghanistan -- and has been linked by the United States to the September 11 attacks, the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya and the USS Cole attack last year in Yemen.

•  Summary   •  Update   •  Key questions   •  Who's who   •  Impact

KEY QUESTIONS:

How is law enforcement working globally to coordinate the investigation?

How will the expansion of law enforcement powers affect Americans' civil liberties? Click here for more.

How are people identified as terrorists communicating with each other? Click here for more.

How are law enforcement authorities using technology such as encryption tools to hunt terrorists? Click here for more.

What groups are U.S. investigators focusing on, and what are their aims? Click here for more.

How would law enforcement authorities go after financial assets of people identified as terrorists? Click here for more.

How did the September 11 attackers evade U.S. intelligence? Click here for more.

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state Click here for more

Condoleezza Rice: National security adviser Click here for more

John Ashcroft: U.S. attorney general

Robert Mueller: FBI director Click here for more

George Tenet: CIA director. Click here for more

Osama bin Laden: U.S. authorities have named bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi exile living in Afghanistan, as the prime suspect in masterminding the September 11 attacks. Click here for more

IMPACT:

Information gained from the investigation could lead to fundamental changes in U.S. security and intelligence systems, as well as surveillance laws.