Official: Al Qaeda trying to sneak agents to U.S., report will say

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A top government intelligence report will warn that al Qaeda is trying to use its resources in Iraq to attack the United States and is beefing up efforts to sneak operatives into the U.S., a senior government official said.

fficials have expressed concern in the past that the Iraq war is providing a theater for al Qaeda to train insurgents and test the terror network's capabilities.

The draft of the intelligence report also expresses concern about the possibility of a growing number of extremists who may already be in the United States, two officials said last week. The report also said al Qaeda is still in pursuit of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Declassified portions of the completed National Intelligence Estimate -- which represents the combined analyses of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies -- will be released Tuesday after the classified version is presented to Congress.

Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, was expected to give President Bush a special briefing on the report Tuesday morning, a senior administration official said.

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