Lots to Untangle on the Aafia Siddiqui Story

Good gracious, there's lots to untangle on this story.  Aafia Siddiqui was charged with attempted murder of federal agents this morning in New York this morning.  Related info:

1) Press release from DOJ about arrest of Aafia Siddiqui here. Excerpt:

"NEW YORK- Michael J. Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mark J. Mershon, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and Raymond W. Kelly, the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, announced today the arrest of Aafia Siddiqui on charges related to her attempted murder and assault of United States officers and employees in Afghanistan. Siddiqui arrived in New York this evening and will be presented tomorrow before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York."

The trial will be in NYC, not Boston.

2) So where has Siddiqui been since 2003?  Some people, including British journalist (former journalist?) and Muslim convert Yvonne Ridley and Pakistani lawyer Iqbal Jafree believe that Siddiqui was given over to the US government by Pakistanis years ago, and she's been in US custody all this time. This information was provided to me in an e-mail by Mr. Jafree, and obivously I can't confim or deny any of it, but here it is:

"yes! you can quote me ++ see the story put on by US Atty for SD of NY this very morning .. which is all baloney. it spilled the forbidden beans (I disclosed that she was in Kabul). This whole story that Aafia Siddiqui tried to shoot FBI agents is sheer fabrication... look up the Press Release from US  South Dist Attorney, NY that they issued as afterthought 6 hrs ago... after I caught them with their panties down. FBI Agents shots her to disable/kill her so that truth is reconstructed. Remember, Law will accept the impossible not the improbable."

"FBI visiting THE DARKNESS PRISON and putting their rifles near the curtain .. for God's sake .. that is improbable, nonsense."

"She has been with CIA Renditioned .. for 5 years. I have moved Islamabad High Court that it order Govt to effect her Recovery and to provide her with finest medical attention.  I am copying this PakiRead Treaty of Friendship between USA Pakistan l959 signed by Ayub Khan and Kennedy."

"YES, YOU CAN QUOTE ME GENEROUSLY. BUT KNOW I AM THE ONE AMERICAN LAWYER WHO IS NOT FOR HIRE BY ANYONE FOR ANY REWARDS OR REMUNERATION."

"I am copying this to Pakistani Atty General Malik Mohammed QAYYUM ([email protected]) you might ask him what he is doing to protect and succour a fellow Pakistani. Some 800 Pakistanis have been illegally handed over to USA for huge bounties pocketed by relatives of bigwigs including Pervez BUSHarraf."

"Remember no person is an island. Violation of any HR is violation of HR everywhere in the global village.  I have stood up for the rights of the unfashionable worldwide regardless of consequences. I was trained in law by Qayyum's father (Qayyum was not!) and I treat law as a noble calling, not for catcalling (which was tried on me by one of Qayyums assistants who fell hard  on his face .. his name is Raja Abdurehman)."

"Pakistan today is a worse state than any Banana Republic."

So where's the truth?  Was Siddiqui in US custody for years, being "continusouyl raped and tortured"?  Or did she show up in Afghanistan two weeks ago outside a government building, her pocketbook filled with "documents relating to explosives, chemical weapons and weapons involving biological materials and radiological agents, along with descriptions of landmarks in New York City and elsewhere in the United States, and liquid and gel substances sealed in bottles and jars"?  And after she was taken into custody on July 17, 2008, she was put behind a curtain in a room with police officers and US agents, when she grabbed a rifle and started shooting??  Frankly, all the stories about Aafia Siddiqui sound fantastic. 

As always, stay tuned.  This is a wild story we have here.

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[Stranger]

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