9/11, 2001: A Case Study

On September 11, 2001, events unfolded in the USA that would change the way terrorism was viewed and the threat it presented. Nineteen members of the Islamist extremist group known as al-Qaeda boarded four commercial planes on the west coast of the USA and once in flight, proceeded to hijack the planes (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, 2004). Two of the hijacked planes were routed toward New York City, where they were deliberately crashed into the upper floors of the north and south towers of the World Trade Centre; the third plane was routed to Washington D.C and deliberately crashed into the Pentagon; and the fourth, which is thought to have been going toward The Capitol or the White House, was crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania after passengers became aware of the attacks on the World Trade

Whilst ASIO already had surveillance powers in place under the Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979, which has since been amended to the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, these powers were expanded and now also include B-Party Warrants, which allow for surveillance of individuals who are not suspects but may be communicating with people who are under investigation (Williams,