WASHINGTON (AP) - FBI Director Louis Freeh today declared his agency "in great shape" despite a recent spate of public relations embarrassments and said he has no plans to step down from his job. Timothy McVeigh's conviction for the Oklahoma City bombing, the capture of CIA shooting suspect Mir Aimal Kansi of Pakistan and other recent successes have helped restore public confidence in the FBI, he told reporters today. The agency's image has suffered in recent years in the wake of a variety of controversies, including its conduct in the investigation of the Atlanta Olympic bombing, allegations that its crime lab had mishandled evidence and accusations that he had failed to fully brief the White House on China's alleged efforts to contribute money to U.S. political campaigns. "I think in large part that we're past it," Freeh said of the FBI's public relations problems. "We will always be controversial. ... But I think that how the FBI responds to those problems is what's important." In an April edition of Newsweek, an article quoted Freeh as saying he had considered quitting his job. But today, Freeh said he may even serve out his 10-year term. "I'm staying on," he said. "I've got no current plans to leave." He also said the FBI is close to hiring a new assistant director for the crime lab, choosing from a list of candidates that includes "world-class scientists." He also said the FBI continues a vigorous investigation of a June 1996 bombing that killed 19 American airmen in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that Hani al-Sayegh, a Saudi dissident, had reneged on an agreement to provide information on the case. "His reneging on that agreement is not a serious setback to our own investigation," Freeh said. The FBI will continue to stand behind Lon Horiuchi, an FBI sharpshooter charged last month by local authorities with involuntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Vicky Weaver, wife of white supremacist Randy Weaver, during a deadly standoff in Idaho, Freeh said. "We fully support him," Freeh said. "It was a horrible tragedy. It was a mistake on his part, but we believe he was acting as he was trained to do. He was within the scope of his authority. ... He reasonably believed at the time that what he was doing was proper."