Hopeful of gleaning vital intelligence from the captured Al Qaeda operative, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, American and Pakistani officials believe that his arrest has dealt a "severe blow" to the operational capability of Osama bin Laden's terror network.
Sheikh Mohammed, who was arrested in Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on March 1, may hold the greatest intelligence treasure, Time magazine reported quoting the officials.
"If I had to choose who is a bigger catch, Osama bin Laden or Khalid Shaikh, I'd say Khalid Shaikh," a Pakistani intelligence official said.
A senior Bush administration official said the US was closer to finding bin Laden after Sheikh Mohammed's capture than it was before.
Last week's classified FBI Intelligence Bulletin said the arrest "deals a severe blow to Al Qaeda's ability to plan and carry out attacks against the United States."