Fifty countries around the world have arrested at least 360 suspected terrorists at the request of the CIA, it was reported today.
The suspected members of al-Qaida and other international groups have been detained following the September 11th attacks, and include at least one man thought to have advanced knowledge of the atrocities.
The arrests follow a massive intelligence-sharing effort led by the CIA, the Washington Postreported.
More than 100 of the arrests have taken place in Europe, and include a suspected al-Qaida cell detained in Spain last week, while 100 arrests were in the Middle East, 20 in Africa and 30, involving mostly other terror groups, in South America.
Intelligence chiefs are unsure if further attacks on the US have been averted by the arrests, but believe al-Qaida has been thrown off balance.
Among the men arrested are a senior al-Qaida commander in Saudi Arabia who is thought to have advance knowledge of the September 11th attacks.
The man, known as Abu Ahmed, was arrested after two al-Qaida foot soldiers were detained in Bahrain and their phone calls traced.
Ahmed is believed to be the highest-ranking member of Osama bin Laden's network detained and is thought to have known some of the 19 hijackers.
Sources told the Washington Postthat he has provided information about the alleged involvement of a Yemeni intelligence officer in the October 2000 terrorist boat-attack on the destroyer USS Cole at a Yemeni port, which killed 17 American sailors.
He was reported to have details of planned attacks on December 31st 1999 which were foiled when an al-Qaida member with a truckload of explosives was arrested after crossing from Canada to America.
The Washington Postreported that the CIA is "swamping" foreign intelligence services with information and requests.
One European diplomat told the newspaper: "We can't get away from these CIA people."
An unknown number of other arrests have been made at the request of the FBI and as part of many countries' stepped-up efforts against terrorism.
A senior White House official said: "Intelligence may be more important down the road when we can't bomb or send in the special forces and have to operate covertly to root out the terrorists."
PA