Washington: Khalid Sha1kh Mohammed, mastermind of the September 11 attacks, has told American interrogators that he first discussed the plot with Osama bin Laden in 1996 and that the original plan called for hijacking five commercial jets on each US coast before it was modified several times.

Mohammed also divulged that, in its final stages, the hijacking plan called for as many as 22 terrorists and four planes in a first wave, followed by a second wave of suicide hijackings that were to be aided possibly by al-Qaida allies in South East Asia, according to reports.

Over time, bin Laden scrapped various parts of the September 11 plan, including attacks on both coasts and hijacking or bombing some planes in East Asia, Mohammed is quoted as saying in reports that shed new light on the origins and evolution of the plot of September 11, 2001.

Addressing one of the questions raised by Congressional investigators in their September 11 review, Mohammed said he never heard of a Saudi man named Omar al-Bayoumi, who provided some rent money and assistance to two hijackers when they arrived in California.

Congressional investigators have suggested Bayoumi could have aided the hijackers or been a Saudi intelligence agent, charges the Saudi government vehemently deny. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also cast doubt on the Congressional theory after extensive investigation and several interviews with al-Bayoumi.

Agencies