On June 10, 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the arrest of Abdullah al Muhajir, aka Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen associated with al Qaeda who planned on domestic attacks. Ashcroft said: “The safety of all Americans and the national security interests of the United States require that Abdullah al Muhajir be detained by the Defense Department as an enemy combatant. In determining that al Muhajir is an enemy combatant who legally can be detained by the United States military, we have acted with legal authority both under the laws of war and clear Supreme Court precedent, which establish that the military may detain a United States citizen who has joined the enemy and has entered our country to carry out hostile acts.”
– “Atty. Gen. Ashcroft’s Announcement,” Associated Press, June 10, 2002