The Nation | Blog | The Daily Outrage | Young and Arrested | Ari Berman: "These days, arresting sixteen-year-old Muslim girls as would-be suicide bombers passes for homeland security. On March 24, two such girls--one born in Bangladesh, the other in Guinea, and both illegal immigrants who'd lived in New York virtually their entire lives--were detained on immigration violations and shipped to a detention center in Leesport, Pennsylvania. According to a government document obtained by the New York Times, the FBI claims the girls present 'an imminent threat to the security of the United States based upon evidence that they plan to be suicide bombers.'

Following a disturbing post-9/11 trend, no evidence has been offered to prove the bureau's claim. And, judging from law enforcement officials quoted in the New York Post, there probably isn't any: 'The arrests took place after authorities decided it would be better to lock up the girls than wait and see if they decided to become terrorists willing to die for a cause.' Does the Bush Administration's policy of pre-emption now apply domestically as well?"

(Via The Nation Weblogs.)