Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Texas siege: Who is Aafia Siddiqui?

Texas siege: Who is Aafia Siddiqui?

AAFIA SIDDIQUI, a Pakistan prisoner in the United States whose release was reportedly demanded by a Texas hostage-taker this weekend, is serving an 86-year sentence for the attempted murder of American soldiers.

Four people were freed unharmed on Sunday (16) following a more than 10-hour standoff at a synagogue in the US state. Their suspected captor was killed.

Media, quoting a US official briefed on the matter, reported that the man was calling for the release of Siddiqui, 49.

Her lawyer said in a statement to CNN that she had "absolutely no involvement" in the hostage situation, and condemned the man's actions.

A US-educated Pakistan scientist, she was jailed in 2010 for attacking American soldiers in Afghanistan.

She was the first woman to be suspected of Al-Qaeda links by the US but never convicted of it.

At 18, Siddiqui travelled to the US, where her brother lived, to study at Boston's prestigious MIT, later earning a PhD in neuroscience at Brandeis University.

But after the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, she came upon the FBI's radar for donations to Islamic organisations and was linked to the purchase of $10,000 (£7312) worth of night-vision goggles and books on warfare.

The US suspected she joined Al-Qaeda from America, returning to Pakistan where she married into the family of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - an architect of the 9/11 attacks.

She disappeared around 2003, along with her three children, in Karachi.

Five years later, she turned up in Pakistan's war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, where she was arrested by local forces in the restive southeastern province of Ghazni.

“Death to America”

During her interrogation by US forces, she grabbed a rifle and opened fire, while screaming "Death to America" and "I want to kill Americans".

The soldiers escaped unhurt, but she was injured.

Her imprisonment sparked outrage in her home country and her supporters claim she was the victim of a secret Pakistan-US plot.

After she was sentenced, Al-Qaeda's then number two called on Muslims to "avenge" the decision.

Her release has previously been at the centre of militants' demands, including during two hostage crises in Pakistan as well as the capture of James Foley, an American journalist who was beheaded by the Islamic State in 2014.

Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, tweeted: "Siddiqui isn't well known in the US, but in Pakistan, she's a big name - many view her as an innocent victim."

In a previous article, he described her as a cause celebre among Islamist militants, and said she was viewed as a "powerful symbol of how poorly Americans treat innocent Muslims in the global campaign against terror".

The issue has remained a matter of long-running tension between Pakistan and the US.

During his election campaign, Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, an open critic of the US action linked to the war on terror, vowed to get her released.

He offered to free Shakeel Afridi, who is languishing in Pakistani jail over his role in helping Americans trace Al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

(AFP)

More For You

King Charles Enjoys Bollywood Melody at Commonwealth Day Event

A cross-cultural moment that captured widespread attention

Getty

King Charles welcomed with Bollywood tune at Commonwealth Day ceremony

During the Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted with an unexpected and memorable musical performance. The Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band played the iconic Bollywood song “Dhoom Machale,” creating a cross-cultural moment that captured widespread attention.

This unique performance combined traditional Scottish bagpipes with the Bollywood tune, surprising many of those in attendance and on social media. The Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, which was established in the early 1950s, is known for blending Scottish musical traditions with elements of Hindu culture. With branches in the UK, India, the USA, and Kenya, the band has performed at numerous high-profile events over the years. Among their previous notable appearances is a performance for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at Madison Square Garden.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patient’s kindness averts terror attack as hospital worker jailed for 37 years

St James’s Hospital in Leeds

Wikipedia

Patient’s kindness averts terror attack as hospital worker jailed for 37 years

A FORMER hospital worker was jailed for 37 years last Friday (21) after a patient talked him out of detonating a homemade pressure cooker bomb in a maternity ward.

Prosecutors said Mohammad Farooq was a “self-radicalised lone wolf terrorist” inspired by Daesh (the Islamic State group).

Keep ReadingShow less
Powerful Earthquake Shakes Myanmar and Thailand – Details Here

Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building after the tremors of a strong earthquake that struck central Myanmar on Friday affected Bangkok, Thailand, on March 28. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Strong earthquake hits Myanmar and Thailand

A POWERFUL earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, with tremors felt in neighbouring Thailand, causing a 30-storey building under construction to collapse in Bangkok. Dozens of workers were trapped, and authorities declared a state of emergency.

The 7.7-magnitude quake was recorded northwest of Sagaing in Myanmar in the afternoon at a shallow depth, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A 6.4-magnitude aftershock followed shortly after in the same region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harshita Brella: High court blasts Delhi police inaction
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)

Harshita Brella: High court blasts Delhi police inaction

INDIAN authorities are under intense scrutiny after the Delhi high court criticised police efforts to locate Pankaj Lamba, the prime suspect in the murder of his wife Harshita Brella. The ongoing international manhunt has revealed a series of investigative failures, with the court describing the Delhi Police's approach as "utterly incompetent".

Brella was found dead in the boot of a car in Ilford, East London, in November 2024. Her husband was charged in absentia with murder, two counts of rape, sexual assault, and controlling behaviour shortly after her death.

Keep ReadingShow less
Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India ties

Foreign Office minister Catherine West, health secretary Wes Streeting and equalities minister Seema Malhotra during the Holi Reception in London.

Streeting: Health deal signals new era in UK-India ties

THE recent health and life sciences agreement between the UK and India will strengthen cooperation on healthcare innovation and security in both countries, health secretary Wes Streeting said.

Speaking at the Holi reception organised by the 1928 Institute, who are the secretariat for the India All-Party Parliamentary Group, in London on Monday (24), he added that the contribution of British Indians has been pivotal in the growth of the NHS since its inception in 1948, and a robust partnership between the two nations will ensure we have a healthcare provider 'fit for the future'.

Keep ReadingShow less