Mohammed Al-Adahi v. Barack Obama

Mohammed Al-Adahi (defendant) was a citizen of Yemen who left for Afghanistan in 2001. In Afghanistan, Al-Adahi lived with his brother-in-law, who was a close associate of Osama bin Laden, the head of the al-Qaida terrorist organization. Al-Adahi met bin Laden twice. Al-Adahi later moved into a guest house that was used by al-Qaida recruits. Al-Adahi also attended an al-Qaida training camp where many of the individuals involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States were trained. While the American military forces launched attacks in Afghanistan, Al-Adahi traveled between major Afghani cities. Al-Adahi later claimed he did so because he decided to take a vacation. Al-Adahi was injured and crossed the border into Pakistan on a bus carrying wounded fighters. Al-Adahi was captured by Pakistan and later detained at the US military base at Guantánamo Bay. Al-Adahi denied that he was a member of al-Qaida or that he fought against the US. A military tribunal established to evaluate detainees’ connections to terrorist organizations determined that Al-Adahi was a member of al-Qaida. Al-Adahi filed a habeas corpus petition with the district court. The court granted the habeas petition on the grounds that no reliable evidence that Al-Adahi was a member of al-Qaida was presented and ordered Al-Adahi to be released. The government appealed.