But it did not understand the men's significance until after the Cole bombing in October 2000.

In fact, it is possible that some of the planning for the Cole bombing and the September 11th attacks took place simultaneously.

Officials said he was in custody and was providing much of the information about the Cole bombing, in which 17 sailors died.

Meanwhile, the questions posed by the Cole bombing have carried American officials back to calculations made before the warship-refueling program began.

The Cole bombing might have given the Bureau a major lead linking the terror network to the unfolding 9/11 plot.

Mr. Harethi, too, was described as an architect of the Cole bombing.

"Just because you have an Islamic connection does not mean that you have any relationship to the Cole bombing," he said.

Last month, 10 other suspects in the Cole bombing escaped from jail in Yemen.

According to Rice, the decision not to respond militarily to the Cole bombing was President Bush's.

But that did not translate into high-level Yemeni connivance in the Cole bombing, the prime minister added.