Ahmad was arrested by the Israeli military on 14 May 1996 and held for two days at various checkpoints in the West Bank before being transferred into the interrogation section of the Ashkelon Prison. During interrogation Ahmad was subjected to sleep deprivation, position abuse, and prolonged isolation. Ahmad is now being detained in the Megiddo Prison.
Administrative detention is imprisonment without trial, by order of an Israeli military officer.
According to Israeli military law in the occupied Palestinian territories, each detention order may sentence a person to up to 12 months in prison. There is no limit on how many orders may be issued against one person. Administrative detention stands in direct violation of basic tenants of international human rights. Eight Birzeit University students, including Ahmad, are currently detained in Megiddo Prison in the lower Galilee.