A Saudi militant killed in 2004 was due to have been the 20th suicide plane hijacker in the September 11th, 2001 attacks, al-Qaeda's media arm said in a statement on the Internet today.
"Turki bin Fheid al-Muteiri - Fawaz al-Nashmi - may God accept him as a martyr (was) the one chosen by Sheikh Osama bin Laden to be the martyrdom-seeker number 20 in the raid on September 11, 2001," said the statement.
In May, bin Laden said Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a US court for the September 11th attacks, had nothing to do with the attacks on the United States.
US officials say Moussaoui was supposed to be the 20th attacker.