Catcher’s Mitt

April 2001: Surveillance of Al-Qaeda and Hamas in US Curtailed

A surveillance program known as Catcher’s Mitt is curtailed, and ten to twenty al-Qaeda wiretaps, as well as some Hamas wiretaps, are not renewed. This follows the discovery of errors in applications for warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) related to both al-Qaeda and Hamas and the introduction of new procedures.

It is never revealed who the targets of the FBI’s surveillance were.

In addition, other similar programs such as Able Danger and Monarch Passage are also shut down around this time.