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Mapping Al Qaeda's Network: Understanding Post 9/11 Organizational Patterns

We were all shocked by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In the non-stop stream of news and analysis one phrase was continuously repeated - "terrorist network." Everyone talked about this concept, and described it as amorphous, invisible, resilient, and . . . . We were all shocked by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In the non-stop stream of news and analysis one phrase was continuously repeated - "terrorist network." Everyone talked about this concept, and described it as amorphous, invisible, resilient, and dispersed. But no one could produce a visual. Being a consultant and researcher in organizational networks, I set out to map this network of terrorist cells that had so affected all of our lives. My aim was to uncover network patterns that would reveal Al Qaeda's preferred methods of stealth organization. If we know what patterns of organization they prefer, we may know what to look for as we search them out in countries across the world. Within one week of the attack, information from the investigation started to become public. We soon knew there were 19 hijackers, which planes they were on, and which nation's passports they had used to get into America. As more information about the hijackers' past was uncovered I decided to map links of three strengths (and corresponding thickness). The tie strength would largely be governed by the amount of time together by a pair of terrorists. Those living together or attending the same school or the same classes/training would have the strongest ties. Those traveling together and participating in meetings together would have ties of moderate strength and medium thickness. Finally, those who were recorded as having a single transaction together, or an occasional meeting, and no other ties, I classified as weak ties that were shown with the thinnest links in the network. The network was created iteratively as data became available. Everyday I checked the major news sources for updated information. Figure 1 shows my computer screen during this process.The browser window shows the news story, the other window shows the network mapping and measuring software. I would add nodes and links to the map as I read the news accounts. Figure 1 shows a link being added between one of the hijackers and an accomplice. The link for this article located at Valdis Krebs is no longer available. . This study delineates the intricacies of criminal syndicates following the events of 9/11, exposing structural dynamics and interrelations.. Terrorist Networks, Organizational Patterns, Network Analysis. . Anthony Pell

Sep 03, 2002 • Anthony Pell Network Security