Friday, August 11 2006 11:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The Bush administration today (Aug 11, 2006) remained tightlipped on the role played by US intelligence agencies in busting the suspected Al Qaeda plot to blow up several airliners over the Atlantic and its Pakistani links.

Washington also refused to comment on media reports that pressure was applied on Islamabad to make a 'key arrest' that eventually led to a number of arrests in Britian.

"One of the things that we're doing, of course, is we're cooperating with the British authorities, and they're the lead in the investigation and subsequent prosecution and I dont want to say anything that might in any ways adversely affect the ongoning investigation. I'll wait for the British authorities to get that information out to the public," US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a TV interview.

The nation's top law enforcement officer also refused to confirm or deny a report that pressure was brought on Pakistan to make a key arrest that led to nabbing of suspects in the United Kingdom.

Elaborating on the co-operation between the US and British intelligence agencies, Gonzales said, "There were information, tips and leads within the US that the FBI, the Department of Justice, other law enforcement and intelligence agencies followed up on.

"The FBI had over 20 agents running down each of these leads. It is true, after doing all of that work, that we don't believe, based on what we know, that there is an ongoing plot here in the US, but we shared everything that we learned about this plot with the British authorities. And we believe that our efforts were important, certainly instrumental in disrupting this current threat" he added.