Security officials in Kuwait have arrested a man local newspapers say is a senior member of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda group.

Stop your support for corrupt leaders in our countries and leave us alone or expect us in Washington and New York.

'Al-Qaeda statement'

The papers said the man - identified only as Mohsen F, a 21-year-old Kuwaiti national - had been plotting to blow up a hotel in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, used by Americans.

They said he had been arrested two weeks ago and had confessed to acting with the help of a retired Kuwaiti army officer to collect more than $120,000 to finance the attack.

The news came as a Arab journalist said he had received an unsigned document which he believed came from the leadership of al-Qaeda.

Yosri Fouda of the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV station said the document addressed non-Muslims, explained al-Qaeda opposition to the US and other Western countries and warned of more attacks.

The statement said that attacks on civilians were justified because American taxes financed unjust wars against Muslims, and called the US the worst nation in the history of mankind.

"Stop your support for Israel against the Palestinians, for Russians against the Chechens... for corrupt leaders in our countries ... [and] leave us alone or expect us in Washington and New York," it said.

Gulf commander

Correspondents say it is unclear whether Mohsen F is the senior al-Qaeda operative whose arrest was announced on Friday by government sources in the United States.

The attack on the USS Cole killed 17 sailors

The Kuwaiti newspapers described the suspect as being in charge of al-Qaeda field operations in the Arabian Peninsula.

They said he had also confessed to being involved in last month's attack on a French oil tanker off the Yemeni coast and was linked to the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors.

Ramadan attack

Mohsen F was arrested at his house after close monitoring of 10 mobile phone numbers he had been calling.

The US believes that a voice on a recent audio tape is Bin Laden's

Al-Watan newspaper described him as a veteran of the Chechen and Afghan wars, and al-Qaeda leader in the Gulf.

It said the arrest was the collaboration of Kuwaiti, Saudi, US and French intelligence services.

Another paper, al-Anba, said a plan had been uncovered to attack the hotel during Ramadan using a booby-trapped truck.

A Yemeni citizen was to drive the truck into the hotel.

Bin Laden voice

Al-Qaeda is blamed for the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Despite declaring a war on terror following those attacks, the United States has managed to detain only about half of the top 20 or so al-Qaeda members on its "most wanted" list.

Among those held by the US are Abu Zubaydah and Ramzi Binalshibh who are being interrogated at undisclosed locations.

An indication that Bin Laden himself is still alive emerged last week with the release of an audio recording said to have been made by the al-Qaeda leader, praising recent attacks on Western targets.

US officials have said they believe the voice on the tape to be that of Bin Laden.

The FBI has warned that al-Qaeda could be planning "spectacular" new attacks in the United States, possibly targeting national landmarks.