Math used to identify terrorist networks

TOKYO, May 7 (UPI) -- Japanese scientists say they have used graph theory and computational data processing to create a technique that can help identify potential terrorists.

Yoshiharu Maeno and Associate Professor Yukio Ohsawa of the University of Tokyo used their new technique to analyze the terrorist network responsible for Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. They said they discovered connections among terrorists that had not been apparent to security experts.

"If the investigators had had a warning information on the 19 hijack planners … before 9/11, our analysis could have aided the investigators in quickly understanding the complete picture of the organized attack, including the covert foundation," Yoshiharu said.

The mathematical technique is detailed in the International Journal of Services Sciences.