The US Senate voted to double the reward for the death or capture of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden to USD 50 M, BBC reported.

The senators voted 87-1 in support of the proposal.

"It has been six years, and al-Qaeda is now rebuilding its terrorist training camps," said Senator Byron Dorgan.

Intelligence analysts told Congress on Wednesday that al-Qaeda had created a safe haven in remote parts of Pakistan.

A leaked draft of a new US intelligence report says al-Qaeda is at its strongest since just before the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.

Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff said earlier this week that he had a "gut feeling" that the US would be at greater risk of attack over the next few months.

President George W Bush has played down the anxiety, however:

"There is a perception in the coverage that al-Qaeda may be as strong today as they were prior to September 11th," he said on Thursday.

"That's simply not the case."

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