One of the terrorist group's most senior figures warned that al-Qaeda had obtained and hidden a nuclear bomb in Europe that would be detonated if Osama bin Laden was killed or captured.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaeda mastermind currently facing trial in America over the 9/11 atrocities, was involved in a range of plans including attacks on US nuclear plants and a "nuclear hellstorm" plot in America.

A number of the conspiracies admitted by detainees during interrogation in Cuba seem improbable, but other plans were detailed and thoroughly analysed.

Some detainees displayed an apparently comprehensive knowledge of Western countries' defences against nuclear attack.