George Bush gives remarks at National Guard Memorial Building in Washington DC

President Bush has given further details of an alleged terrorist plot in the United States, saying he believed the intended target was a high-rise building in Los Angeles.

Mr. Bush said Thursday that in October 2001, al-Qaida had set in motion a plan to fly a civilian plane into the highest building on the West Coast. He said the plot involved members of a Southeast Asian terror group, Jemaah Islamiyah, using shoe bombs.

The mayor of Los Angeles later said this was the first time L.A. officials learned several key details about the plot. Antonio Villaraigosa also said that there is no imminent threat to Los Angeles, but that the city deserves more federal funding for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks.

US Bank Tower, formerly known as the Library Tower

White House officials refused to say if the controversial domestic eavesdropping program helped thwart the plot. Mr. Bush cited help from Asian nations in disrupting the plot and said international cooperation against terrorism has reached an all-time high.