Al-Qaeda supporter sentenced to 86 years in prison for shooting at U.S. agents
September 24th, 2010 - 3:12 am ICT by BNO NewsNEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) – An al-Qaeda supporter on Thursday was sentenced to 86 years of imprisonment for shooting at U.S. agents in Afghanistan while planning terrorist attacks, the New York Post reported.
Aafia Siddiqui, 38, an American neuroscientist, was born in Pakistan and extradited from Afghanistan to New York after her arrest in July 2008. Siddiqui was nicknamed by the media as “terror mom.”
Siddiqui was found guilty in February of all seven counts against her, including attempted murder and weapons possession. She was arrested in 2008 after being caught in Afghanistan with 2 pounds of poisonous chemicals, bomb-making instructions, and a list of New York landmarks.
She was convicted for using a rifle in an attempt to kill U.S. military officers while yelling “death to Americans” in Afghanistan. She grabbed a rifle at an Afghan police station and started shooting at the Americans sent to detain her. Her conviction caused a series of anti-American protests in Pakistan. She was the only person injured during the episode as she was shot in the torso by the soldier whose weapon she took.
After the guilty verdict, her attorneys argued that there was no physical evidence that Siddiqui had touched a weapon. In February, she said that the conviction was coming from Israel and not America.
The defendant was trained at MIT in the early 1990s. She returned to her native Pakistan in 2003 after marrying an al-Qaeda terrorist related to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.
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- Leaked Afghan war logs include capture of 'Lady Al Qaeda' - Jul 28, 2010
- Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui sentenced to 86 years in prison - Sep 24, 2010
- US says no to Pakistan proposal for swapping Davis - Mar 01, 2011
- US turns down Pak Govt's offer to trade terror-suspect Aafia for CIA contractor Davis - Mar 01, 2011
- Zarein Ahmedzay pleads guilty in connection with al-Qaeda New York subway plot - Apr 24, 2010
- Pak Govt. can bring back Qaeda suspect Aafia Siddiqui in a day if it wants: US counsel - Jun 11, 2010
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- Pakistan seeks repatriation of terror suspect Aafia - Sep 19, 2010
- 'Bold steps' by Pak govt. might help in Aafia Siddiqui's release, says sister - Jan 31, 2011
- Shocking secret audio recording suggests Pak handed over Aafia Siddiqui to US - Feb 15, 2011
- Aafia Siddiqi's uncle says she visited him in Islamabad to meet Taliban - Mar 08, 2010
- Pakistani Consul General visits Aafia Siddiqui at Texas detention facility - Apr 16, 2011
- Aafia's family vows 'movement' for her release from American jail - Sep 24, 2010
Tags: 9 11 attacks, al qaeda, bno, conviction, defendant, early 1990s, guilty verdict, imprisonment, mastermind, military officers, neuroscientist, new york landmarks, new york post, physical evidence, poisonous chemicals, police station, protests, sheikh mohammed, terrorist attacks, torso