AN ISLAMIC terrorist suspect linked to Al-Qaeda has been arrested after apparently preparing himself for a suicide bombing in Britain.

The man, an Algerian asylum seeker, had left suicide notes to his mother and sister warning them that he planned to "martyr" himself.

When he was strip-searched, police discovered he had shaved off all his body hair ?? a religious obligation often observed by would-be suicide bombers so that they are "clean" before entering heaven.

Documents found in the suitcase of Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the September 11 attacks, appeared to instruct all 19 of his hijackers to shave their body hair.

The man, in his late twenties, was arrested during a series of raids by police who were investigating a network of terrorists loosely connected to Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda movement. It is understood that he has been charged with unrelated terrorist offences.

In notes to his sister and mother the man wrote: "I hope you treat me as a hero and a martyr." The documents were recovered during a raid on his home, said to be in the north of England.

The documents triggered a nationwide hunt for explosives that the man was believed to be planning to use. A target has not been identified but there are growing fears of a suicide bomb attack at Heathrow or another London airport, shopping centres or railway stations in the London and M25 area.

Police passed the man's details to MI5, which says there is insufficient evidence to provide definitive proof of a specific plot. One official said: "There are rituals that different ethnic groups have used in connection with martyrdom operations. Shaving your body hair is an indication, but it is not the only indication."

The discovery of the suicide notes before Christmas helps to explain the growing concern of the authorities over the possibiity of a suicide attack somewhere in Britain.

America last week lowered its terror status from "elevated" to "high risk". Tom Ridge, the secretary for homeland security, said conditions had changed. However, Eliza Manningham-Buller, director-general of MI5, told ministers last week that she was not prepared to lower the threat level in Britain.

She has told ministers of "chilling" new evidence that Al-Qaeda may be planning a suicide attack at Heathrow airport. One intelligence source said: "Al-Qaeda is very definitely air-oriented. An attack at Heathrow is considered to be a real threat."

The source said MI5 feared an attack on a crowded terminal or against a fully loaded plane waiting on a taxiway. An in-flight bombing is also considered to be a possibility.

Last month the FBI issued a warning that suicide terrorists were planning to hijack transatlantic aircraft by smuggling bomb kits past airport security and assembling them in toilets during a flight. The bombs would be used to blow up the plane or threaten the crew to gain control of the aircraft.

The warning was one reason why the American government last week instructed all airlines flying into America to ban passengers from queueing up at toilets when planes enter American airspace. The move was greeted with incredulity by airlines and the British pilots' union Balpa.

Senior British law enforcement officials said last week that they want to obtain bulk passenger lists so that they can start checking names well before possible suspects check in at airports.

Air passengers on key European routes also face new disruption under government moves to block bogus asylum seekers. David Blunkett will announce this week that travellers will have their passports photocopied before they board planes.

Seven out of 10 false claimants destroy their identity papers during their journey and then tell British immigration officers they are fleeing from a brutal regime.

The home secretary had to leave the plan out of the Queen's speech in November after cabinet allies of Gordon Brown blocked the move, claiming it would delay passengers for hours and be "costly and cumbersome". He has now won the backing of Tony Blair for the move.

• Seven of the nine British subjects held by the US in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may be freed within weeks. They are likely to be classified as "medium risk" and allowed to return home, but will be kept under surveillance by the police.

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