Combating international terrorism : a study of whether the responses by the UK and US to the events of 9/11 are compatible with respect for fundamental human rights

On Tuesday 11 September 2001, four commercial planes were hijacked by terrorists. One hijacked passenger jet leaving Boston, Massachusetts crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Centre at 8.45 a.m. setting the tower on fire. Eighteen minutes later, a second hijacked akliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Centre and exploded. Later that morning both the north and south towers collapsed, plummeting into the streets below. At 9.43 a.m., a third hijacked airliner (American Airlines Flight 77) crashed into the Pentagon sending up a huge plummet of smoke. A portion of the building later collapsed. At 10.10 a.m. a fourth hijacked airliner (United Airlines Flight 93) crashed into Somerset County, Pennsylvania, south-east of Pittsburgh. The crashing o f these hijacked airliners into buildings and on land were the worst terrorist attacks in the history o f the United States. They led to the loss of thousands of innocent lives and damaged property running into billions of dollars. The attacks were heralded as not only terrorist attacks on the US, but also an attack on the entire global community. The atrocities led to the most dramatic amendment to anti-terrorism legislation ever known, both within the United States and the United Kingdom. The new antiterrorism legislation in both nations however, has been widely criticised as not being compatible with respect for fundamental human rights, due to its hasty enactment. This thesis analyses the responses and new anti-terrorism legislation in both countries examining the question: do they deprive international human rights?Law, Peter A. Allard School ofGraduat