Laden was pleased to see increased 9/11 toll

London, Dec 8: The man behind the 9/11 attacks, which is deemed as one of the most deadliest terror incidents ever, Osama bin Laden was "very pleased" when he came to know that the death toll of the attack was close to 3,000, as against his expectation of around 1,500.

Laden"s ex-bodyguard Salim Ahmed Hamdan told a court that "when he (bin Laden) learned it (casualty) was much larger he was very pleased".

The Mirror quoted prosecutor Lt Col William Britt as saying that Hamdan told interrogators at Guantanamo Bay that he drove the al-Qaeda supremo from hideout to hideout for weeks after the attacks.

Hamdan, charged with conspiracy and supporting terrorism, appeared at a hearing to decide if he could be prosecuted before a US military tribunal.

He said he was a minor employee and should be treated as a prisoner of war (PoW) under the Geneva Conventions.

But Lt Col Britt said he was a member of al-Qaeda "not a peripheral member, he was right there with bin Laden".

ANI>