I had a feeling this was gonna get hot and heavy....
"NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Pakistani accused of shooting at U.S. officers while in Afghan custody last month has been extradited to the United States, federal prosecutors said Monday."
"Aafia Siddiqui -- who had been sought by the FBI for several years regarding terrorism --- now faces federal charges of attempted murder and assault of a U.S. officer and U.S. employees, federal authorities said."
"Authorities say Siddiqui shot at two FBI special agents, a U.S. Army warrant officer, an Army captain and military interpreters who unknowingly entered a room where she was being held unsecured."
"Siddiqui was behind a curtain and shot at the personnel with an officer's rifle, officials said."
"She fired two shots, but hit no one, officials said. The warrant officer returned fire with a pistol, shooting Siddiqui at least once. She struggled with the officers before she lost consciousness, said officials, adding that she received medical attention."
"The day before the shootings, Afghan police had arrested Siddiqui outside the Ghazni governor's compound after finding bomb-making instructions, excerpts from the 'Anarchist's Arsenal,' papers with descriptions of U.S. landmarks and substances sealed in bottles and glass jars, U.S. officials said Monday."
"The 36-year-old Siddiqui is an American-educated neuroscientist and a suspected al Qaeda operative. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years on each charge."
Wowee. Does this mean Boston is going to be the home for another major terrorism trial? Cool! Think of what we'll learn about the Boston terrorist infrastructure from this trial! I bet even the Boston Globe covers it.
What precipitated the acknowledgement that Siddiqui was in custody in Afghanistan and the extradition? This seems to be related to the petition for a hearing on Siddiqui filed by Pakistani lawyer Iqbal Jafree about a week ago. Jaffree also threatened to report Siddiqui's detainment as a human rights violations in Pakistan to the United Nations human rights commissioner in Geneva, as reported in Geo.
"Siddiqui’s lawyer, Javed Iqbal Jafrey, moved the Islamabad High Court claiming that Siddiqui had been handed over to US security officials by Pakistan authorities without informing the woman’s family. The Islamabad High Court heard the case in its entirety."
"A single bench of the court, head by Chief Justice Sardar Aslam, on Wednesday directed the Interior Ministry to furnish a complete report to the court providing Siddiqui’s full details. The court has adjourned until Sept. 9."
British "journalist" and Muslim convert Yvonne Ridley has publicized Aafia Siddiqu's case recently, referring to her as the Gray Lady of Bagram:
"Ridley said she first learnt about the woman while reading a book by Guantanamo ex-detainee Moazzam Begg. Ridley added that one of the four Arabs who escaped from the Bagram cell in July 2005 also told a television channel that he had heard a woman’s cries and screams in the prison but never saw her. 'I call her the Grey Lady of Bagram because she is almost a ghost, a spectre whose cries and screams continue to haunt those who heard her,' she said.
"The woman is registered as Prisoner number 650 and the US officials can’t deny the fact, Ridley said. 'I demand that the US military free the Grey Lady immediately. We don’t know her identity, we don’t know her state of mind and we don’t know the extent of the abuse or torture she has been subjected to,' Ridley said."
Ridley further claims that Siddiqui has been "physically tortured and continuously raped by the prison officers at Bagram prison." Of course! Let the spin begin. CagePrisoners writes that not only did Siddiqui have nothing to do with Al Qaeda funding, but Aafia was a victim of domestic abuse. She's the victim here. There are many questions about how long she's been held and by who and why. But the reflexive "she's been raped and tortured" is both predictable and vile. But we're sure to hear a lot of such things in the days to come.
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