Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 05:25, 14 April 2010

Aafia Siddiqui (born March 2, 1972, in Karachi, Pakistan) is a Pakistani Muslim neuroscientist, accused of being an al-Qaeda member. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumna and Brandeis University Ph.D., and mother of three, she had disappeared in March 2003. Her disappearance followed the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, alleged chief planner of the September 11 attacks and the uncle of her second husband, and the subsequent issue by the FBI of a global "wanted for questioning" alert for her. In 2004, U.N. investigators identified her as an al-Qaeda member, and the FBI said she was a "terrorist facilitator" and listed her as one of the seven "most wanted" al-Qaeda fugitives.

She resurfaced when she was arrested July 17, 2008, by the Afghan National Police. During her July 17, 2008 arrest, a police search of her handbag produced a number of documents written in Urdu and English describing the creation of explosives, chemical weapons, Ebola, dirty bombs, and radiological agents (which discussed mortality rates of certain of the weapons), and handwritten notes referring to a "mass casualty attack".

Siddiqui was charged with two counts of attempted murder, armed assault, using and carrying a firearm, and three counts of assault on U.S. officers and employees. She was convicted in February 2010, in a Manhattan court, on all counts which relate to an incident involving Federal Bureau of Investigation agents while in custody. According to her later indictment and conviction, when U.S. military personnel congregated that day at the Afghan facility meeting-room where—without them knowing it—she was being held unsecured, she came out from behind a curtain, picked up an M-4 assault rifle at the feet of one of the soldiers, and fired two shots at them, but missed. An officer returned fire, hitting her in the torso, and she was subdued. Siddiqui and Afghan police described other sequences of events. She will be sentenced on May 6, 2010, and faces a minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison on the firearm charge, and could also get up to 20 years for each attempted murder and firearms charge, and up to 8 years on each of the remaining assault counts when.

However, she has not to date been charged with or prosecuted for any terrorism-related offences. Siddiqui's sister and mother have asserted that she does not have any connection to al-Qaeda, that the U.S. secretly detained her for five years, and that she was tortured and raped – all claims that the U.S. and Pakistan deny. After her conviction, thousands of people protested in Pakistan, and the Taliban threatened to kill a captured American soldier in retaliation.

Biography

Early life

Siddiqui is the youngest of three siblings. She was raised first in Zambia until the age of eight, and then in Karachi, Pakistan. Her father, Muhammad Salay Siddiqui, was a British-trained neurosurgeon, and her mother, Ismet (née Faroochi), is a now-retired Islamic teacher and social worker, who was prominent in political-religious circles. She has one brother Mohammad Azi Siddiqui, an architect, who lives in Sugarland, Texas; Her sister, Fowzia, is a Harvard Medical School-trained neurologist married to Nassar Jamali.

Undergraduate education

Siddiqui moved to Texas in the United States on a student visa in 1990, joining her brother. After attending the University of Houston for three semesters, she transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1992, as a sophomore, Siddiqui received a Carroll L. Wilson Award for her research proposal "Islamization in Pakistan and its Effects on Women". As a junior, she received a $1,200 City Days fellowship through MIT's program to help clean up Cambridge elementary school playgrounds.

She was regarded as religious by her fellow MIT students, but not unusually so: Marnie Biando, a former student who lived in the dorm at the time said "She was just nice and soft-spoken, terribly assertive." She joined the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), through whose contacts journalist Deborah Scroggins suggested may have been drawn Siddiqui into the world of terrorism:

At MIT, several of the MSA's most active members had fallen under the spell of Abdullah Azzam, a Muslim Brother who was Osama bin Laden's mentor.... had established the Al Kifah Refugee Center to function as its worldwide recruiting post, propaganda office, and fund-raising center for the mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan... It would become the nucleus of the al-Qaeda organization.

Siddiqui solicited money for the Al Kifah Refugee Center. In addition to being an al-Qaeda charitable front and al-Qaeda’s U.S operational headquarters, tied to bin Laden, it advocated armed violence, one of its members had just killed Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990, and it was tied to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Through the MAS she met several committed Islamists, including Suheil Laher, its imam, who publicly advocated Islamization and jihad before 9/11. For a short time, Laher was also the head of the Islamic charity Care International, which reportedly collected funds for jihadist fighters.

When Pakistan asked the U.S. for help in 2003 in combating religious extremism, Siddiqui circulated the announcement with a scornful note deriding Pakistan for "officially" joining "the typical gang of our contemporary Muslim governments", closing her email with a quote from the Quran warning Muslims not to take Jews and Christians as friends. She wrote three guides for teaching Islam, expressing the hope in one: "that our humble effort continues ... and more and more people come to the of Allah until America becomes a Muslim land." She also took a 12-hour pistol training course at the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club.

While she initially majored in Biochemical and Biophysical Studies at MIT, she graduated in 1995 with a BS in Biology. In February 1996, she wrote an article for the MIT information systems newsletter I/S entitled "Four Ways to get MITnet Applications for Macs and PCs".

Postgraduate, work and marriage

In 1995 she had an arranged marriage to anesthesiologist Amjad Mohammed Khan from Karachi, just out of medical school, whom she had never seen. They were married over the phone.

Her husband came to the U.S., and they lived first in Lexington, Massachusetts, and then in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Roxbury (in Boston), as he worked as an anesthesiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She studied cognitive neuroscience in a Ph.D. program at Brandeis University. She gave birth to a son in 1996 (Mohammad Ahmed/Ali Hassan), and in September 1998 had a daughter (Maram Bint Muhammad); both are American citizens.

In 1999, while living in Boston, Siddiqui (as President), her husband (as Treasurer), and her sister (as resident agent) founded the Institute of Islamic Research and Teaching as a nonprofit organization. On October 3, 2005, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the organization's charitable status.

She attended a mosque outside the city, where she stored copies of the Quran and other Islamic literature for distribution. She also helped establish the Dawa Resource Center, a program that distributed Qurans and offered Islam-based advice to prison inmates.

She received a Ph.D. degree in 2001 for her dissertation, entitled "Separating the Components of Imitation." She also co-authored a journal article.

Divorce and al-Qaeda allegations

Siddiqui was one of six alleged al-Qaeda members who bought blood diamonds in West Africa immediately prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to a dossier prepared by U.N. investigators for the 9/11 Commission. Alan White, former chief investigator of a U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Liberia, said she was in Monrovia, Liberia, on June 16, 2001, and for a week thereafter, using the alias of 'Fahrem', as on behalf of al-Qaeda's leadership she oversaw the purchase of blood diamonds worth $19 million, which were used to fund al-Qaeda operations. Al-Qaeda's goal was to have easily transportable, convertible, and untraceable assets at their disposal in anticipation of U.S.-led moves freezing al-Qaeda bank accounts and other assets worldwide after 9/11.

In the summer of 2001, the couple moved to Malden, Massachusetts. According to Khan, after the September 11 attacks Siddiqui insisted on leaving the U.S., saying that it was unsafe for them and their children to remain. He also said that she wanted him to move to Afghanistan, and work as a medic for the mujahideen.

In May 2002, the FBI questioned Siddiqui and her husband regarding their purchase over the internet of $10,000 worth of night vision equipment, body armor, and military manuals including The Anarchist's Arsenal, Fugitive, Advanced Fugitive, and How to Make C-4. Khan claimed that these were for hunting and camping expeditions. On June 26, 2002, the couple and their children returned to Pakistan.

In August 2002, Khan said Siddiqui was abusive and manipulative throughout their seven years of marriage; her violent personality and extremist views lead him to suspect her of involvement in jihadi activities. Khan went to Siddiqui's parents' home, and announced his intention to divorce her. He and her father argued; the latter suffered a fatal heart attack on August 15, 2002. In September 2002, Siddiqui gave birth to the last of their three children, Suleman. The couple's divorce was finalized on October 21, 2002.

On December 25, 2002, Siddiqui made a trip to the U.S., telling he husband that she was looking for a job; she left the U.S. on January 2, 2003. Siddiqui's ex-husband was suspicious of her intentions, as she traveled to the U.S. at a time when U.S. universities are closed. The FBI suspects that the real purpose of her trip was to open a post office box for an alleged al-Qaeda operative, Majid Khan, to make it appear that he was still in the U.S. He is suspected of having planned attacks on gas stations and underground fuel-storage tanks in the Baltimore, Maryland—Washington, DC area on the orders of Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, relayed through Ammar al-Baluchi. Siddiqui listed Majid Khan as a co-owner of the P.O. box, and falsely identified him as her husband. The P.O. box key was later found in the possession of Uzair Paracha, also implicated in the scheme. He was convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda, and sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in 2006.

Disappearance and FBI warning

In early 2003, while Siddiqui was working at Aga Khan University in Karachi, she emailed a former professor at Brandeis and expressed interest in working in the U.S., citing lack of options in Karachi for women of her academic background.

According to the media,, during interrogation on March 1, 2003, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, alleged al-Qaeda chief planner of the September 11 attacks arrested in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, reportedly revealed that Siddiqui was a key al-Qaeda operative; his arrest triggered a series of related arrests shortly thereafter.

On March 25, 2003, the FBI issued a global "wanted for questioning" alert for Siddiqui and her ex-husband, Amjad Khan. Siddiqui was accused of being a "courier of blood diamonds and a financial fixer for al-Qaida". Khan was questioned by the FBI, and released.

A few days later, afraid the FBI would find her in Karachi, she left her parents' house along with her three children. She took a taxi to the airport, ostensibly to catch a morning flight to Islamabad to visit her uncle, but disappeared.

Siddiqui's whereabouts and activities from March 2003 to July 2008 are a matter of dispute.

In late March 2003, what the Boston Globe described as "sketchy" Pakistani news reports said Pakistani authorities had detained Siddiqui, and had questioned her with FBI agents. But Pakistani authorities denied the reports. On April 22, 2003, two U.S. federal law enforcement officials initially (and anonymously) said Siddiqui had been taken into custody by Pakistani authorities. Pakistani officials never confirmed the arrest, however, and later that day the U.S. officials amended their earlier statements, saying new information made it "doubtful" she was in custody.

In 2003–04, the FBI and the Pakistani government said they did not know where Siddiqui was. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft called her the most wanted woman in the world, an al-Qaeda "facilitator" who posed a "clear and present danger to the U.S." On May 26, 2004, the U.S. listed her among the seven "most wanted" al-Qaeda fugitives. One day before the announcement, The New York Times cited the Department of Homeland Security saying there were no current risks; American Democrats accused the Bush administration of attempting to divert attention from plummeting poll numbers and to push the failings of the Invasion of Iraq off the front pages.

Sister and mother assert Siddiqui detained by Pakistan and U.S.

"Lady Al-Qaeda"

"Prisoner 650"

Siddiqui's sister and mother said that she does not have any connections to al-Qaeda, and that after she disappeared in Pakistan in March 2003 with her three children, the U.S. detained her secretly in Afghanistan. They point to comments by former Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, detainees who say they believe a woman held at the prison while they were there was Siddiqui. Her sister said that Siddiqui had been raped, and tortured for five years.

According to Yvonne Ridley, best known for her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam after her release, Siddiqui spent those years in solitary confinement at Bagram as Prisoner 650. And Amnesty International listed her as possibly being a "ghost prisoner" held by the U.S.

Siddiqui herself gave conflicting explanations. She alternately claimed that she had been kidnapped by U.S. intelligence and Pakistani intelligence, while also claiming that she was working for Pakistani intelligence during this time. Siddiqui reportedly said that she worked at the Karachi Institute of Technology in 2005, was in Afghanistan in the winter of 2007, stayed for a time during her disappearance in Quetta, Pakistan, and was sheltered by various people.

Ex-husband, uncle, son, and U.S. assert Siddiqui in Pakistan

According to her ex-husband, after the global alert for her was issued Siddiqui went into hiding, and worked for al-Qaeda. During her disappearance Khan said he saw her at Islamabad airport in April 2003, as she disembarked from a flight with their son, and said he helped Inter-Services Intelligence identify her. He said he again saw her two years later, in a Karachi traffic jam. In February 2009, he told a Pakistani newspaper that most of the claims in Pakistani press reports related to her and their children were being propagated to garner public support and sympathy for her, but that they were one-sided and in most instances untrue.

Siddiqui's maternal uncle, Shams ul-Hassan Faruqi, said that on January 22, 2008, she visited him in Islamabad. She said she had been held by Pakistani agencies, and asked for his help in order to cross into Afghanistan, where she thought she would be safe in the hands of the Taliban. He had worked in Afghanistan, and made contact with the Taliban in 1999, but told her he was no longer in touch with them. He notified his sister, Siddiqui's mother, who came the next day to see her daughter. He said that Siddiqui stayed with them for two days. Her uncle has signed an affidavit swearing to these facts.

Her son Ahmad, who was arrested with her, said he and Siddiqui had worked in an office in Pakistan, collecting money for poor people, and were later dispatched with maps and documents to Afghanistan, according to an Afghan intelligence official in the Ministry of the Interior. He told Afghan investigators that on August 14, 2008, they had traveled by road from Quetta, Pakistan, to Afghanistan.

An Afghan intelligence official said he believes that Siddiqui was working with Jaish-e-Mohammed (the "Army of Muhammad), a Pakistani Islamic mujahedeen military group that fights in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

The U.S. government said it did not hold Siddiqui during that time period, and had no knowledge of her whereabouts from March 2003 until July 2008. A U.S. Justice Department spokesman called the allegations "absolutely baseless and false", a Central Intelligence Agency spokesman also denied that she had been detained by the U.S., and Gregory Sullivan, a State Department spokesman, said: "For several years, we have had no information regarding her whereabouts whatsoever. It is our belief that she ... has all this time been concealed from the public view by her own choosing." Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin said in 2008 that U.S. agencies had searched for evidence to support allegations that Siddiqui was detained in 2003, and held for years, but found

zero evidence that Ms. Siddiqui was abducted, kidnapped, tortured, anything we hear repeatedly. I have found not a shred of evidence those allegations are true. A more plausible inference is that she went into hiding because people around her started to get arrested, and at least two of those people ended up at Guantanamo Bay.

According to some U.S. officials, she went underground after the FBI alert for her was issued, and was at large working on behalf of al-Qaeda.

Re-marriage

When she was arrested in 2008, she told FBI agents that she had re-married, her second husband being accused al-Qaeda member Ammar al-Baluchi. He is also known as Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and is a nephew of al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. He is also a cousin of Ramzi Yousef, convicted of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

She had worked with al-Baluchi in opening a P.O. box for Majid Kahn, and says she married him in March or April 2003. He was arrested on April 29, 2003, and taken to the Guantanamo Bay military prison, where he is in U.S. custody. He faces the death penalty in his upcoming trial in the U.S., for aiding the 9/11 hijackers.

Siddiqui's marriage to al-Baluchi was denied by her family. But it was confirmed by Pakistani intelligence, the FBI, Siddiqui herself (according to court records), a defense psychologist, and security sources and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's family (according to BBC).

Children

Siddiqui's eldest son, Ahmad, resurfaced with her in 2008. Afghan authorities handed him over to Pakistan in September 2008, and he now lives with his aunt in Karachi, who has prohibited him from talking to the press.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Siddiqui has not explained clearly what happened to her two younger children, who are missing. She told one FBI agent that sometimes one has to take up a cause that is more important than one's children. She has alternated between saying that the two youngest children are dead, and that they are with her sister Fowzia, according to a psychiatric exam.

Siddiqui's ex-husband has unsuccessfully sought custody of their eldest son. He believed that the missing children were in Karachi, either with or in contact with Siddiqui's family, and not in U.S. detention. He said that they were seen in her sister's house in Karachi and in Islamabad on several occasions since their alleged disappearance in 2003.

In April 2010, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that a girl left outside a house in Karachi was identified by a DNA test as Siddiqui's daughter Mariyam. He said the 12-year-old had been returned to her family. The Pakistani press had previously reported that the girl, brought into Siddiqui's sister's home by unidentified men, had been shown by blood and fingerprint tests not to be Mariyam, but that Siddiqui's sister had agreed adopt the girl whatever the DNA results. DNA testing subsequently proved that the girl indeed was Aafia's daughter and the Government formally declared this.

Arrest

According to court documents, Siddiqui was encountered on the evening of July 17, 2008, by officers of the police in Ghazni Province outside the Ghazni governor's compound. With two small bags at her side, crouching on the ground, she aroused the suspicion of a man who feared she might be concealing a bomb under the burqua that she was wearing. He called the police. She was accompanied by a teenage boy about 12, who she reportedly claimed was an orphan she had adopted. She said her name was Saliha, that she was from Multan in Pakistan, and that the boy's name was Ali Hassan. Discovering that she did not speak either of Afghanistan's main dialects, Pashtu or Dari, the officers regarded her as suspicious.

The police searched her and her handbag. They found that she had a number of documents written in Urdu and English describing the creation of explosives, chemical weapons, Ebola, dirty bombs, and radiological agents (which discussed mortality rates of certain of the weapons), and handwritten notes referring to a "mass casualty attack" that listed various U.S. locations and landmarks (including the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the New York City subway system), according to her indictment. She also reportedly had documents detailing U.S. "military assets", excerpts from The Anarchist's Arsenal, a one-gigabyte digital media storage device that contained over 500 electronic documents (including correspondence referring to attacks by "cells", describing the U.S. as an enemy, and discussing recruitment of jihadists and training), maps of Ghazni and the provincial governor's compounds and the mosques he prayed in, and photos of Pakistani military people. Other notes described various ways to attack enemies, including by destroying reconnaissance drones, using underwater bombs, and using gliders.

She also had "numerous chemical substances in gel and liquid form that were sealed in bottles and glass jars", according to the later complaint against her, and about two pounds of sodium cyanide, a highly toxic poison. Abdul Ghani, Ghazni's deputy police chief, said she later confessed that she intended to carry out a suicide attack against the provincial governor.

The officers arrested her, as she cursed them, and took her to a police station. DNA testing performed a short time later revealed that the boy was in fact her eldest son, Ahmed, which Siddiqui subsequently reportedly admitted.

Attack while in custody

American authorities say that the following day, on July 18, two FBI agents, a U.S. Army warrant officer, a U.S. Army captain, and their U.S. military interpreters arrived in Ghazni to interview Siddiqui at the Afghan National Police facility where she was being held. They congregated in a meeting room that was partitioned by a curtain, but did not realize that Siddiqui was standing unsecured behind the curtain. The warrant officer sat down adjacent to the curtain, and put his loaded M-4 assault rifle on the floor by his feet, next to the curtain.

"It was pure chaos."

Siddiqui reportedly drew back the curtain, picked up the rifle, and pointed it at the captain. “I could see the barrel of the rifle, the inner portion of the barrel of the weapon; that indicated to me that it was pointed straight at my head,” he said. She was said to have threatened them loudly in English, and yelled "Get the fuck out of here" and "May the blood of be on your ". The captain dove for cover to his left, as she yelled "Allah Akbar" and fired at least two shots at them, missing them. An Afghan interpreter who was seated closest to her lunged, grabbed and pushed the rifle, and tried to wrest it from her. At that point the warrant officer returned fire with a 9-millimeter pistol, hitting her in the torso, and one of the interpreters managed to wrestle the rifle away from her. During the ensuing struggle she initially struck and kicked the officers, while shouting in English that she wanted to kill Americans, and then lost consciousness.

She was taken to Bagram Air Base by helicopter in critical condition. When she arrived at the hospital she was 3 on Glasgow Coma Scale, but she underwent emergency surgery without complication while hospitalized at the Craig Theater Joint Hospital, and recovered over the next two weeks.

According to Pakistani senators who later visited her in jail, Siddiqui related a different version of events. She denied touching a gun, shouting, or threatening anyone. She said that she stood up so she could see who was on the other side of the curtain, and that after one of the startled soldiers shouted, "She is loose", she was shot. On regaining consciousness, she said someone said "We could lose our jobs."

Afghan police offered a third version of the events, telling Reuters that U.S. troops had demanded that she be handed over, disarmed the Afghans when they refused, and then shot Siddiqui mistakenly thinking she was a suicide bomber.

Trial

Charges

Siddiqui was charged on July 31, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, with assault with a deadly weapon, and with attempting to kill U.S. personnel. She was flown to New York on August 6, and indicted on September 3, 2008, on two counts of attempted murder of U.S. nationals, officers, and employees, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying and using a firearm, and three counts of assault on U.S. officers and employees.

Explaining why the U.S. may have chosen to charge her as they did, rather than for her alleged terrorism, Bruce Hoffman, professor of security studies at Georgetown University, said the decision turned what might have been a potentially complex terrorism matter into a more straightforward case:

"There’s no intelligence data that needs to be introduced, no sources and methods that need to be risked. It’s a good old-fashioned crime; it’s the equivalent of a 1920s gangster with a tommy gun."

Pakistani and other supporters

In August 2009, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani met with Siddiqui's sister at his residence, and assured her that Pakistan would seek Siddiqui's release from the U.S. The Pakistani government paid $2 million for the services of three lawyers to defend Siddiqui during her trial. Many Siddiqui supporters were present during the proceedings, and outside the court dozens of people rallied to demand her release.

Medical treatment and psychological assessments

On or about August 1, 2008, Siddiqui told a U.S. special agent at the Craig Hospital that "spewing bullets at soldiers is bad", but to her surprise "you" have still taken care of me and treated me well. On August 11, U.S. magistrate judge Henry B. Pitman ordered that she be "examined by a medical doctor within 24 hours". Her counsel had maintained she had not seen doctor since arriving in the U.S. a week prior. Prosecutors said Siddiqui had been provided with adequate medical care since her detention in Afghanistan, though at the hearing they were unable to confirm whether she had been seen in New York by a doctor or by a paramedic. She was examined by a doctor the following day, who found no visible signs of infection.

Siddiqui was provided care for her wound while incarcerated in the U.S. In September 2008, a prosecutor reported to the court that Siddiqui had refused to be examined by a female doctor, despite the doctor's extensive efforts. On September 9, 2008, she underwent a forced medical exam. In November 2008, forensic psychologist Dr. Leslie Powers reported that Siddiqui had been "reluctant to allow medical staff to treat her", expressing significant distrust of them. Her last medical exam had indicated her external wounds no longer required medical dressing, and were healing well. She also consistently and steadfastly refused to take any medication to address the psychological symptoms she complained of. In a March 2009 report, Dr. Saathoff noted that Siddiqui frequently verbally and physically refused to allow the medical staff to check her vital signs and weight, attempted to refuse medical care once it was apparent that her wound had largely healed, and refused to take antibiotics. At the same time, Siddiqui claimed to her brother that she when she needed medical treatment she did not get it, which Saathoff said he found no support for in his review of documents and interviews with medical and security personnel, and his interviews with Siddiqui.

Siddiqui's trial was subject to delays, the longest being six months in order to perform psychiatric evaluations. She underwent three sets of psychological assessments before trial. Her first psychiatric evaluation diagnosed her with depressive psychosis, and her second evaluation, ordered by the court, revealed chronic depression.

In a third set of psychological assessments, more detailed than the previous two, three of four psychiatrists concluded that she was"malingering" (faking her symptoms of mental illness). One suggested that this was to prevent criminal prosecution, and to improve her chances of being returned to Pakistan. In April 2009, Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman held that she "may have some mental health issues" but was competent to stand trial.

Jury selection controversy; threatened boycott

Siddiqui said she did not want Jews on the jury. She demanded that all prospective jurors be DNA-tested, and excluded from the jury at her trial:

if they have a Zionist or Israeli background ... they are all mad at me ... I have a feeling everyone here is them—subject to genetic testing. They should be excluded, if you want to be fair.

Siddiqui's legal team said, in regard to her comments, that her incarceration had damaged her mind.

After jurors found Siddiqui guilty on February 3, 2010, of attempting to kill U.S. security personnel during her detention in Afghanistan, Siddiqui exclaimed, “This is a verdict coming from Israel, not America. That’s where the anger belongs.”

Prior to her trial, Siddiqui said she was innocent of all charges. She maintained she could prove she was innocent, but refused to do so in court. On January 11, 2010, Siddiqui told the Judge that she would not cooperate with her attorneys, and wanted to fire them. She also said she did not trust the Judge, and that she was "boycotting the trial ... there are too many injustices. I’m out of this". Following her outburst she was removed from the court, though the Judge said she would be allowed back, as she was entitled to be present at her trial.

Trial proceedings

Siddiqui's trial began with opening arguments on January 19, 2010, in New York City. Prior to the jury entering the courtroom, Siddiqui told onlookers that she would not work with her lawyers because the court was not fair She also said: "I have information about attacks, more than 9/11! ... I want to help the President to end this group, to finish them ... They are a domestic, U.S. group; they are not Muslim."

Three government witnesses testified first, out of a total of nine called by the prosecution: Army Captain Robert Snyder, John Threadcraft, a former army officer, and John Jefferson, an FBI agent. As Snyder testified that Siddiqui had been arrested with a handwritten note outlining plans to attack various U.S. sites, she disrupted the proceedings, saying: "If you were in a secret prison ... where children were tortured ... This is no list of targets against New York. I was never planning to bomb it. You're lying." As result of her outbursts, Siddiqui was repeatedly removed from the court, but told by the judge that she could watch the proceedings on closed-circuit television in an adjacent holding cell, a proposal that she rejected. A request by the defense lawyers to declare a mistrial was turned down by the judge.

The defense counsel said that the jury would not see any forensic evidence that the rifle was fired in the interrogation room. It said it expected to show that there were very different versions of the story, and that her handbag contents were not credible as evidence because they were sloppily handled. FBI agent John Jefferson and Ahmed Gul, an army interpreter, recounted their struggle with her. Judge Berman warned Siddiqui that future outbursts would not be tolerated, to which she responded: "I’m just going to be quiet, but it doesn’t mean I agree."

The prosecution said: "You are not going to see the defendant’s fingerprints on the M-4 rifle", adding that it is not unusual to fail to get fingerprints off a gun. “This is a crime that was committed in a war zone, a chaotic and uncontrolled environment 6,000 miles away from here." Author Glenn Sulmasy observed in the National Review that: "Of course, in a combat theater, such 'fingerprinting' does not ordinarily occur. Gul's testimony appeared, according to the defense, to differ from that given by Snyder with regard to whether Siddiqui was standing or on her knees as she fired the rifle. When Siddiqui testified, though she admitted trying to escape, she denied that she had grabbed the rifle and said she had been tortured in secret prisons before her arrest by a “group of people pretending to be Americans, doing bad things in America’s name.”

Conviction

The trial lasted 14 days, and the jury deliberated for 3 days before reaching a verdict.

On February 3, 2010, she was found guilty of two counts of attempted murder, armed assault, using and carrying a firearm, and three counts of assault on U.S. officers and employees. She faces a minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison on the firearm charge, and could also get up to 20 years for each attempted murder and armed assault charge, and up to 8 years on each of the remaining assault counts. Sentence will be passed on May 6, 2010.

Reaction in Pakistan

A petition was filed seeking action against the Pakistani government for it having not approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to have Siddiqui released from the United States. Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffree said the CIA arrested Siddiqui in Karachi in 2003, and one of her sons was killed during her arrest. On January 21, 2010, he submitted documents allegedly proving the arrest to the Lahore High Court.

In Pakistan, Siddiqui's February 2010 conviction was followed with expressions of support by many Pakistanis, who appeared increasingly anti-American, as well as by politicians and the news media, who characterized her as a symbol of victimization by the United States. Her ex-husband, Amjad Khan, was one of the few who expressed a different view, saying that Siddiqui was "reaping the fruit of her own decision. Her family has been portraying Aafia as a victim. We would like the truth to come out."

After Siddiqui's conviction, thousands of students, political and social activists in Pakistan protested. Some shouted anti-American slogans, while burning the American flag and effigies of President Obama in the streets. Her sister has spoken frequently and passionately on her behalf at rallies. Echoing her family's comments, and anti-U.S. sentiment, many believe she was picked up in Karachi in 2003, detained at the U.S. Bagram Airbase, and tortured, and that the charges against her were fabricated. U.S. officials flatly deny the assertions.

The Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC, issued a statement saying it diplomats were "dismayed" over the verdict, and that "The Government of Pakistan made intense diplomatic and legal efforts on her behalf, and will consult the family of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and the team of defense lawyers to determine the future course of action." Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani described Siddiqui as a “daughter of the nation,” and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif promised to push for her release. On February 18, President Asif Ali Zardari requested of Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, that the U.S. consider repatriating Siddiqui to Pakistan under the Pakistan-U.S. Prisoner Exchange Agreement. On February 22, the Pakistani Senate passed a resolution expressing its grave concern over Siddiqui's sentence, and demanding that the government take effective steps including diplomatic measures to secure her immediate release.

Shireen Mazari, editor of the right-wing Pakistani newspaper The Nation, wrote that the verdict "did not really surprise anyone familiar with the vindictive mindset of the U.S. public post-9/11". Foreign Policy reported that rumors about her alleged sexual molestation and sexual abuse by captors, fuelled by constant stories in the Pakistani press, had made her a folk hero, and "become part of the legend that surrounds her, so much so that they are repeated as established facts by her supporters, who have helped build her iconic status".

Steve Inskeep of National Public Radio noted on March 1 that while when Siddiqui's case has been covered in the U.S., it has mostly been described as a straightforward case of terrorism, in contrast when "the Pakistani media described this very same woman, this very same case, the assumptions are all very different". The News International, Pakistan's largest circulation English tabloid, carried a March 3 letter from Talat Farooq, the executive editor of the magazine Criterion in Islamabad, in which she wrote:

The media has highlighted her ordeal without debating the downside of her story in objective detail. A whole generation of Pakistanis, grown up in an environment that discourages critical analysis and dispassionate objectivity ... has ... allowed their emotions to be exploited. The Aafia case is complex... The grey lady is grey precisely because of her murky past and the question mark hanging over her alleged links to militants.... Her family's silence during the years of her disappearance, and her ex-husband's side of the story, certainly provide fodder to the opposing point of view.... The right-wing parties ... have once again played the card of anti-Americanism to attain their own political ends.... Our hatred of America, based on some very real grievances, also serves as a readily available smokescreen to avoid any rational thinking.... The response of the religious political lobby to Aafia's plight is symbolic of our social mindset.

A New York Times article reviewing the Pakistani reaction noted: "All of this has taken place with little national soul-searching about the contradictory and frequently damning circumstances surrounding Ms. Siddiqui, who is suspected of having had links to Al Qaeda and the banned jihadi group Jaish-e-Muhammad. Instead, the Pakistani news media have broadly portrayed her trial as a “farce”, and an example of the injustices meted out to Muslims by the United States since Sept. 11, 2001."

Jessica Eve Stern, a terrorism specialist and lecturer at Harvard Law School, observed: "Whatever the truth is, this case is of great political importance because of how people view her."

Taliban threat

According to the Pakistani newspaper The News International, the Taliban has threatened to execute captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl, whom they have held since June 2009, in retaliation for Siddiqui's conviction. They claim members of Siddiqui's family requested their help. A Taliban spokesman said:

We tried our best to make the family understand that our role may create more troubles for the hapless woman, who was already in trouble. On their persistent requests, we have now decided to include Dr Aafia Siddiqui's name in the list of our prisoners in US custody that we delivered to Americans in Afghanistan for swap of their soldier in our custody.

See also

• Michael Finton, American who attempted 2009 bombing of U.S. target with FBI agent he thought was al-Qaeda member
• Nidal Malik Hasan, American 2009 Fort Hood shooter
• Colleen LaRose (JihadJane), American charged in 2010 with trying to recruit Islamic terrorists to wage jihad and murder artist Lars Vilks
• Sharif Mobley, American suspected al-Qaeda member, arrested in Yemen in 2010 and accused of killing guard in escape attempt
• Bryant Neal Vinas, American convicted in 2009 of participating in/supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.
• Najibullah Zazi, U.S. resident and al-Qaeda member, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings of New York City subway
• 2009 detention of Americans by Pakistan, five Muslim Americans charged by Pakistan in 2010 with terrorism-related offenses

References

1. ""U.S. trial begins for Pakistani terrorist", ''UPI'', January 19, 2010, accessed February 12, 2010". Upi.com. January 19, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
2. ^ "Pakistani scientist alleges torture". Tehran Times. February 21, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
3. ^ Scroggins, Deborah, The Most Wanted Woman in the World, Vogue, March 1, 2005
4. ^ "Indictment in U.S. v. Siddiqui" (PDF). September 3, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
5. ^ "Aafia Siddiqui Found Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court of Attempting to Murder U.S. Nationals in Afghanistan and Six Additional Charges" (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice press release. February 3, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
6. ^ Al-Qaeda Woman? Putting Aafia Siddiqui on Trial, TIME, January 18, 2010
7. ^ von Mittelstaedt, Juliane (November 27, 2008) America's Most Wanted 'The Most Dangerous Woman in the World', Der Spiegel
8. ^ "Sealed Complaint in U.S. v. Siddiqui" (PDF). July 31, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. ^ Ed Pilkington in New York. "Pakistani scientist found guilty of attempted murder of US agents | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
10. ^ By C. J. Hughes (February 3, 2010). "Aafia Siddiqui Guilty of Shooting at Americans in Afghanistan". New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
11. ^ Cite error: The named reference alleg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
12. ^ Kearney, Christine, "Pakistani woman faces US court for assault on troops," Reuters, August 6, 2008, accessed 15, 2010
13. ^ The intelligence factory: How America makes its enemies disappear, Harper's Magazine, November 2009
14. ^ 6, 2010 "Taliban demands release of Pak terror suspect Aafia, threatens to kill US soldier". One India. February 5, 2010. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
15. ^ Dickey, Christopher (2009). Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force—The NYPD. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1416552405. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
16. ^ Template:Cite article
17. ^ Saathoff, Gregory B (March 15, 2009). "Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation; CST Aafia Siddiqui" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2010.
18. ^ Kucharski, L. Thomas (July 2, 2009). "Forensic Psychological Evaluation; Aafia Siddiqui" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2010.
19. ^ Mashood, Salman (March 5, 2010). "U.S. Sees a Terror Threat; Pakistanis See a Heroine". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
20. Kephart, Janice L. (September 2009). "Immigration and Terrorism - Moving Beyond the 9/11 Staff report on Terrorist Travel". Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
21. "The Carroll L. Wilson Award Recipients 1986–2005".
22. Chanda, Marium (January 19, 2009), "U.S. ignores “innocent until proven guilty” for alleged terrorists", The Tartan, accessed February 13, 2010
23. Winter, Jana (August 22, 2008), "E-mails Show MIT Grad Taught School While Raising Money for Terror-Linked Group", Fox News, accessed February 12, 2010
24. Stockman, Farah (February 4, 2010), "Scientist decries guilty verdict; Blames Israel for outcome; US alleges she shot at troops", The Boston Globe, accessed February 12, 2010
25. ^ Winstein, Keith J. "Reported Capture of MIT Alumna Denied by FBI". The Tech. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
26. "Siddiqui, Aafia, "Four Ways to get MITnet Applications for Macs and PCs"" (PDF). Retrieved February 16, 2010.
27. ^ The mystery of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, The Guardian, November 24, 2009
28. NEUMEISTER, Larry (August 23, 2008). "Clashing views of MIT grad suspected of terrorism". FOX News. Associated Press. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
29. ^ Stockman, Farah (August 12, 2008). "Activist turned extremist, US says Ex-Hub woman tied to Al Qaeda". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
30. Hasan, Khalid (March 27, 2003). "Pakistani couple sought in Qaeda hunt", the Daily Times. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
31. Stockman, Farah (August 10, 2004), "Roxbury address eyed in FBI probe", The Boston Globe, accessed February 15, 2010
32. Foundations Status of Certain Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, October 3, 2005
33. "Woman Sought by FBI Reportedly Arrested in Pakistan: Neurologist Questioned by FBI for Alleged Al-Qaida Links", NBC, April 3, 2003
34. "Aafia Siddiqui, "Separating the components of imitation", 2001, accessed February 15, 2010". Worldcat.org. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
35. Sekuler, R; Siddiqui, A; Goyal, N; Rajan, R (2003). "Reproduction of seen actions: stimulus-selective learning". Perception. 32 (7): 839–54. PMID 12974569.
36. Al-Qaeda bought diamonds before 9/11, USA Today, August 7, 2004
37. ""Special Court for Sierra Leone: Office of the Prosecutor: Profile, Aafia Siddiqui," accessed February 15, 2010" (PDF). Retrieved March 7, 2010.
38. ^ Masroor, Aroosa (February 18, 2009), Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s husband breaks his silence after six years, The News International
39. ^ "Biography of Ammar al-Baluchi" (PDF). Director of National Intelligence. Retrieved February 15, 2010.
40. Sjoberg, Laura; Gentry, Caron E. (2007). Mothers, monsters, whores: women's violence in global politics. Zed Books. ISBN 1842778668. Retrieved March 7, 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
41. "Paracha Sentencing" (PDF). July 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
42. ^ Rodriguez, Alex (February 3, 2010). "Is she a victim of the U.S. or is she 'Terror Mom'?; Aafia Siddiqui is awaiting a verdict after her trial in the U.S. on attempted murder charges. Many in Pakistan consider her a hero and a victim of persecution". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
43. Fermino, Jennifer (August 5, 2008), and Sheehy, Kate, "NY Charges for Woman in Afghan Military Shooting", New York Post, accessed February 11, 2010]
44. ^ Goldenberg, Suzanne and Shah, Saeed (August 6, 2008). "Mystery of 'ghost of Bagram' – victim of torture or captured in a shootout?". The Guardian.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
45. "Stockman, Farah, "Activist turned extremist, US says; Ex-Hub woman tied to Al Qaeda,"". The Boston Globe. August 12, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
46. "Pakistani woman in custody unlikely the one sought", USA Today, April 22, 2003, accessed February 15, 2010
47. "Pakistanis will not be extradited, US told". Dawn. April 16, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
48. Esposito, Richard & Ross, Brian (September 2, 2008), "Alleged Mata Hari of Al Qaeda Indicted: Could Provide 'Treasure Trove' of Intelligence; Aafia Siddiqui Had "Dirty Bomb" & "Mass Casualty Attack" Information & New York Target List in Her Possession," ABC News,, accessed February 12, 2010
49. Cite error: The named reference kerry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
50. "Melissa Grace and Stephanie Gaskell, "'Lady Al Qaeda' threat real, pol says; lawyers want to see evidence," ''New York Daily News'', August 14, 2008, accessed February 12, 2010". New York Daily News. August 14, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
51. Syed Saleem Shahzad (August 2, 2008), "Is Aafia Siddiqui Bagram’s Prisoner 650?", Tehran Times, accessed February 12, 2010
52. Yusuf, Huma (August 6, 2008). "Pakistani woman accused of aiding Al Qaeda operatives appears in court" Christian Science Monitor, accessed February 11, 2010
53. Goldenberg, Suzanne (August 6, 2008). "Mystery of 'ghost of Bagram' – victim of torture or captured in a shootout?", The Guardian, accessed February 12, 2010]
54. ^ Neumeister, Larry (July 4, 2009). "Details emerge on woman accused of al-Qaida ties". The Guardian. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
55. ^ Iqbal, Anwar (August 4, 2008). "FBI concedes Aafia Siddiqui in US custody: lawyer". Dawn. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
56. "Questions about convicted Pakistani doctor Siddiqui", BBC, February 4, 2010
57. Branigin, William (August 6, 2008), [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/05/AR2008080501934.html "Pakistani Woman Faces Assault Charges; U.S.-Educated Scientist Accused of Attacking American Troops, Agents in Afghanistan", The Washington Post, accessed February 11, 2010
58. Neumeister, Larry (November 20, 2008), "Prosecutor: No sign Pakistani suspect was abducted, tortured", The Boston Globe, accessed February 15, 2010
59. Bone, James & Hussain, Zahid (August 7, 2008), "Accused terror scientist in court", The Australian, accessed February 15, 2010
60. "Suspect scientist in court", The Sydney Morning Herald, August 7, 2008, accessed February 15, 2010]
61. "Family Affair, Just Maybe, at Courthouse"
62. Mystery of Siddiqui disappearance, BBC, August 6, 2008
63. "Pakistani jets kill 45 people in Khyber: militants". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
64. Dr Aafia's ex-husband seeks children’s custody, Dawn (newspaper), July 8, 2009
66. Shinwari, Ibrahim (April 10, 2010). "Pakistani jets kill 45 people in Khyber: militants". Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
67. "ONLINE – International News Network". Onlinenews.com.pk. June 9, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
68. "Dr Fauzia to adopt mystery girl". GEO.tv. April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
69. "'Daughter' of Aafia returns". The Nation. April 5, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
70. Govt formally declares teenage girl as Aafia's daughter The Nation. April 5, 2010, Retrieved April 11, 2010
71. Mayer, Alex (August 13, 2008). "Mayer, Alex, "She is the most significant capture in five years", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', August 13, 2008, accessed February 11, 2010". Interact.stltoday.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
72. ""Officials: Female Terror Suspect's Capture Yields Documents, Computer Files", ''ABC'', August 13, 2008, accessed February 12, 2010". Wjla.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
73. ^ Michael Hytha (January 19, 2010). "Pakistani Woman Ejected From Trial Over Afghan Attack". BusinessWeek. Retrieved February 12, 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
74. Stockman, Farah (August 6, 2008), "Afghans suspected scientist of a suicide plot; At US court, she enters no plea on assault charges", The Boston Globe, accessed February 15, 2010
75. Bartosiewicz, Petra (January 18, 2010). "Will Siddiqui Trial Reveal U.S. Rendition and Torture?". TIME. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
76. "Pakistani woman charged with soldier attack to be arraigned in New York", The New York Daily News, August 5, 2008, retrieved February 15, 2010
77. "Hurtado, Patricia, "Pakistani Scientist Guilty of Attack on Soldiers, FBI Agents", Bloomberg, February 4, 2010, accessed February 11, 2010". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
79. ^ Schmitt, Eric (August 5, 2008). "American-trained neuroscientist charged with trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
80. "Aafia Siddiqui, aka 'Lady Al Qaeda,' thrown out of court after ranting at jurors again". The New York Daily News. January 19, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
81. Gendar, Alison & Mcshane, Larry (January 20, 2010), "Witness describes 'Lady Al Qaeda' suspect Aafia Siddiqui as 'mad, angry' during alleged gunfight" The New York Daily News, accessed February 15, 2010]
82. "New York court indicts Pakistani scientist seized in Afghanistan". The Christian Science Monitor. September 3, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
83. "Suspect scientist in court". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
84. Weiser, Benjamin, "With Fewer Terror Trials, Manhattan Court Quiets Down," The New York Times, August 8, 2008, accessed February 16, 2010
85. "Kearney, Christine, "Pakistan to pay for lawyers of Qaeda suspect in U.S.", Reuters India, September 3, 2009, accessed February 16, 2010". In.reuters.com. September 3, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
86. "Over 800 Pakistanis in Indian jails, Senate informed". Dawn.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
87. "Aafia rejects witness's claim she planned to attack New York landmarks". App.com.pk. July 17, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
88. ^ Berman, Hon. Richard M. (April 28, 2009). "Order Finding Defendant Competent to Stand Trial; U.S. v. Siddiqqui" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2010.
89. Shulman, Robin, "Judge Orders Doctor For Detained Pakistani; Woman Accused of Assaulting Troops," The Washington Post, August 12, 2008, accessed February 23, 2010
90. "Medical care for Pakistani scientist" The Sydney Morning Herald, August 12, 2008, accessed February 21, 2010
91. ""Doctor examines Pakastani accused of U.S. troop attack", Reuters Canada, August 12, 2008, accessed February 21, 2010". Ca.reuters.com. August 12, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
92. ^ ""Forensic Evaluation; Aafia Siddiqui", Leslie Powers, November 6, 2008, accessed February 17, 2010" (PDF). Retrieved March 7, 2010.
93. "Siddiqui Diagnosed With Chronic Depression".
94. James Bone Aafia Siddiqui demands no Jewish jurors at attempted murder trial, The Times, January 15, 2010
95. "Pak working on legal, diplomatic fronts for Aafia's release: Haqqani". The Nation. January 16, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
96. Anti-Defamation League: “Terror-Related Trials Marked by Claims of Israeli Control” February 9, 2010
97. "Dr Aafia to boycott trial". The Nation. November 21, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
98. Woman Accused of al-Qaida Ties Wants Lawyers Fired
99. Backstory: "The Intelligence Factory" By Petra Bartosiewics
100. ""Aafia Siddiqui, Alleged Al Qaida Sympathizer: No Jews On Jury"". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
101. ""'Lady Al Qaeda' trial: Suspected terrorist Aafia Siddiqui tossed from courtroom after outburst"". New York Daily News. January 14, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
102. ""'Lady Al Qaeda' cries foul: Accused terrorist Aafia Siddiqui says toss Jews from jury pool"". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
103. "Exclude Jew jurors, demands Dr Aafia". Thenews.jang.com.pk. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
104. ""Pakistani neuroscientist says boycotting NY trial"". Cageprisoners.com. January 14, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
105. Hays, Tom, and Neumeister, Larry (January 19, 2010). "Reputed al-Qaida supporter taken from NY courtroom". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 9, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
106. "Pakistani Woman Ejected From Trial Over Afghan Attack". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
107. "Reputed al-Qaida Supporter Rants at Opening Day of Trial". NBC New york.
108. Hughes, C.J., "Pakistani Scientist Found Guilty of Shootings", The New York Times, February 3, 2010, accessed February 10, 2010
109. "My children were tortured, this trial is a sham: Aafia". Press TV. January 20, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
110. ^ "Outburst punctuates opening of MIT scientist's trial". Boston Globe. January 20, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
111. Golding, Bruce (January 20, 2010). "'Qaeda' mom tossed from Manhattan courtroom". New York Post. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
112. ""Pakistani Woman Ejected From Trial Over Afghan Attack"". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
113. Mcquillan, Alice (January 19, 2010). ""Reputed al-Qaida Supporter Rants at Opening Day of Trial"". Nbcnewyork.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
114. Hughes, C. J. (January 19, 2010). ""Outburst From Defendant in Afghan Shooting Trial"". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
115. Press, Associated. ""Witness recounts struggle with al-Qaida suspect"". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
116. Sulmasy, Glenn (January 19, 2010), "Another Option for Gitmo Detainees", National Review, accessed February 14, 2010
117. ""Witnesses' accounts differ at Dr. Aafia's trial"". Dawn. January 21, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
118. Hughes, C.J., (January 28, 2010), "Neuroscientist Denies Trying to Kill Americans", The New York Times, accessed February 11, 2010
119. "Lady Al Qaeda' Aafia Siddiqui convicted of attempted murder". The New York Times. February 3, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
120. "Scientist Convicted of Trying to Kill Americans", The New York Times, February 3, 2010, accessed February 11, 2010
121. "Proof of Dr Aafia's arrest submitted to court". Dawn. Pakistan. January 22, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
123. Pakistanis Protest US Verdict in Scientist's Case", The New York Times, February 4, 2010, accessed February 15, 2010
124. ^ Imtiaz, Saba (April 7, 2010). "The strange case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui". The AfPak Channel (Afpak.foreignpolicy.com). Retrieved April 8, 2010.
125. "Photo from AP Photo". Daylife.com. February 14, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
126. Yusuf, Huma, "'Lady Al Qaeda': Pakistan reacts to Aafia Siddiqui conviction in US court", Christian Science Monitor, February 4, 2010, accessed February 12, 2010
127. Agence France-PresseFebruary 3, 2010 (February 3, 2010). "Pakistan dismayed at U.S. guilty verdict". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 9, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
128. ""Zardari urges Holbrooke to repatriate Dr Aafia Siddiqui", February 18, 2010, accessed February 23, 2010". Dawn.com. February 18, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
129. "Richard Holbrooke calls on President", Associated Press of Pakistan, February 18, 2010, accessed February 23, 2010
130. ""Senate passes resolution on Dr Aafia's case"". Dawn. Pakistan. February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
131. "Pakistan denounces conviction of neuroscientist in US court", Nation, February 4, 2010, February 12, 2010
132. Morning Edition (March 1, 2010). "Inskeep, Steve, "In Pakistan, 'Lady Al-Qaida' Is A Cause Celebre"". NPR. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
133. Farooq, Talat, "Daughters of a lesser god?", The News International, March 3, 2010, accessed March 3, 2010
134. Yusufzai, Mushtaq (February 5, 2010). 6, 2010 "Taliban to execute US soldier if Aafia not released". The News International. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. The Afghan Taliban on Thursday demanded the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who has been convicted by the US court on charges of her alleged attempt to murder US soldiers in Afghanistan, and threatened to execute an American soldier they were holding currently. They claimed Aafia Siddiqui's family had approached the Taliban network through a Jirga of notables, seeking their assistance to put pressure on the US to provide her justice. {{cite news}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
135. Jontz, Sandra, "Militants threaten to execute U.S. soldier", Stars and Stripes, February 6, 2010, accessed February 15, 2010

External links

• 2003 FBI "wanted for questioning" alert
• Sealed Complaint, U.S. v. Siddiqui, July 31, 2008
• Indictment, U.S. v. Siddiqui, September 3, 2008
• FBI Seeking Information poster
• "Aafia Siddiqui Indicted" (press release). U.S. Department of Justice. September 2, 2008
• "Forensic Evaluation; Aafia Siddiqui", Leslie Powers, November 6, 2008
• "Forensic Update; Aafia Siddiqui", Leslie Powers, May 4, 2009
• "Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation; CST Aafia Siddiqui", Gregory B. Saathoff, March 15, 2009
• "Forensic Psychological Evaluation; Aafia Siddiqui", L. Thomas Kucharski, July 2, 2009
• Order Finding Defendant Competent to Stand Trial, U.S. v. Siddiqui, July 29, 2009
• "Aafia Siddiqui Found Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court of Attempting to Murder U.S. Nationals in Afghanistan and Six Additional Charges" (press release). U.S. Department of Justice. February 3, 2010
• Official website of Siddiqui's family
• Draafia.org website

v t e Alleged militants in the war on terror who have lived in United States
People listed in italics have died.
September 11 attacks	Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Mohamed Atta Satam al-Suqami Waleed al-Shehri Wail al-Shehri Abdulaziz al-Omari Marwan al-Shehhi Fayez Banihammad Mohand al-Shehri Hamza al-Ghamdi Ahmed al-Ghamdi Hani Hanjour Khalid al-Mihdhar Majed Moqed Nawaf al-Hazmi Salem al-Hazmi Ziad Jarrah Ahmed al-Nami Saeed al-Ghamdi Ahmed al-Haznawi
Buffalo Six	Sahim Alwan Mukhtar al-Bakri Kamal Derwish Jaber A. Elbaneh Faysal Galab Yahya Goba Shafal Mosed Yaseinn Taher
al-Qaeda/al-Jihad	Anwar al-Awlaki Adam Yahiye Gadahn Wadih el-Hage Ziyad Khaleel Khaled Abu al-Dahab Ali Mohamed Zacarias Moussaoui Aafia Siddiqui Bryant Neal Vinas Najibullah Zazi
Boston cab drivers	Mohamad Elzahabi Nabil al-Marabh Raed Hijazi Bassam Kanj
Portland Seven	Jeffrey Battle Ahmed Bilal Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal Patrice Lumumba Ford Mike Hawash October Lewis Habis Abdulla al Saoub
Arrested in 2005 and convicted	Abdulrahman Farhane Mahmud al-Mutazzim Rafiq Abdus Sabir Tarik Shah
Liberty City Seven	Patrick Abraham Burson Augustin Rotschild Augustine Narseal Batiste Stanley Phanor
2007 Fort Dix plot	Agron Abdullahu Dritan Duka Eljvir Duka Shain Duka Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer Serdar Tatar
D.C. Five	Umer Farooq Waqar Khan Ahmed Abdullah Minni Aman Hassan Yasir Ramy Zamzam
Others	Shirwa Ahmed Yahya al-Bahrumi Mohamed Mahmood Alessa / Carlos Eduardo Almonte Daniel Patrick Boyd / Raleigh jihad group John Walker Lindh Sayed Malike Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah Nuradin Abdi Ahmed Omar Abu Ali Farooque Ahmed Iyman Faris Rezwan Ferdaus Michael Finton Jude Kenan Mohammad ”AustraliWitness” Nidal Hasan David Headley Daniel Maldonado José Padilla Tahawwur Hussain Rana Michael Curtis Reynolds Faisal Shahzad Hosam Maher Husein Smadi Majid Khan Jose Pimentel
Related articles	Detroit Sleeper Cell Virginia jihad network 2005 Los Angeles bomb plot 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting 2010 Portland car bomb plot 2011 Manhattan plot
Currently imprisoned.    Released after serving sentence.

• 1972 births
• Living people
• Bagram Theater Detention Facility detainees
• Brandeis University alumni
• Human rights abuses
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
• Pakistani extrajudicial prisoners of the United States
• People of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
• Women in 21st century warfare
• University of Houston people
• Pakistani al-Qaeda members
• Alleged al-Qaeda facilitators
• Pakistani Muslims
• Pakistani Neuroscientists
• People from Karachi District
• Pakistani women
• Pakistani people imprisoned abroad
• People from Boston, Massachusetts
• Islamic terrorism
• Prisoners and detainees of the United States military
• FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
• People convicted of attempted murder
• People from Roxbury, Boston
• People from Lexington, Massachusetts
• People from Malden, Massachusetts