Al-Janabi claimed that in the September following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, his home was raided at 2:00 a.m. by "persons dressed in American military uniforms and civilian clothing" who beat him and his family. Al-Janabi was told he would face execution with his brother and nephew and was then interned in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. His arrest initially unexplained, Al-Janabi said an interrogating soldier eventually "told me I was a terrorist ... preparing for an attack against the U.S. forces" and he gave forced confessions.