'Terror mom' found guilty of attempted murder of US serviceman

[darrels joy]

'Terror mom' found guilty of attempted murder of US serviceman

By BRUCE GOLDING and CLEMENTE LISI
Last Updated: 9:03 PM, February 3, 2010
Posted: 2:25 PM, February 3, 2010

An MIT-trained Pakistani woman was convicted this afternoon for trying to kill Americans while detained in Afghanistan in 2008.

The tirade-prone Aafia Siddiqui, 37, was found guilty of attempted murder by a jury in Manhattan federal court, even after she denied charges that she had opened fire on US soldiers and FBI agents in Afghanistan.

After the verdict was read, Siddiqui turned to the gallery, pointed her finger in the air and said, "This is a verdict coming from Israel, not America, and that is where the anger belongs. I can testify to this and I have proof."

Siddiqui, 37, was convicted of two counts of attempted murder, though the crime was not found by the jury to be premeditated. She was also found guilty of armed assault, using and carrying a firearm, and assault of US officers.

Siddiqui faces life behind bars for her crimes.

The Pakistani neuroscientist, who the feds claimed was an al Qaeda associate, was arrested two years ago carrying handwritten plans for a radioactive "dirty bomb" along with a list of New York landmarks.

Federal prosecutors said that when FBI agents went to question her, she picked up an unattended rifle and shot at them. They claim Siddiqui was wounded by return fire.

It took a jury about 13 hours over three days to convict Siddiqui, who became famous for her loud outbursts that often got her kicked out of the courtroom.

Testifying in her own defense, Siddiqui claimed she had been tortured and held in a “secret prison” before her detention. Charges that she attacked US personnel who wanted to interrogate her were “crazy,” she said.

“It’s just ridiculous,” she said at her trial.

In court, Siddiqui veiled her face with a white scarf and often sat slumped in her chair. She openly sparred with the judge and her own lawyers, insisted she could bring peace to the Middle East.

“I was never planning a bombing! You’re lying!” she yelled while an Army captain testified on the first day of her two-week trial.

Despite claims that she was an al Qaeda sympathizer, Siddiqui was never charged with terrorism.

A member of Siddiqui's defense team said afterward that she disagreed with the verdict.

"In my opinion, it is wrong. There was no forensic evidence and the witness testimony was divergent, to say the least. ... This was a verdict based on fear, not on fact," lawyer Elaine Sharp.

She also said Siddiqui told her this morning that "she does not want there to be any violent protests or any violent reprisals in Pakistan over this verdict."

Asked about Siddiqui's comments regarding directing anger toward Israel, Sharp said: "I don't think she's saying she wants anybody to attack Israel."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/t...G8vcxDxyadasqO

[darrels joy]

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed naming names

From Kelli Arena
CNN Washington Bureau
Thursday, April 3, 2003 Posted: 8:28 PM EST (0128 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) --Captured al Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is naming operatives of the terrorist organization and offering what is believed to be useful information to U.S. interrogators, sources confirmed to CNN Thursday.

One of the several al Qaeda operatives he has identified, sources said, is Pakistani Majid Khan, whom Mohammed described as an al Qaeda soldier who has helped gather intelligence in the United States.

The sources would not offer details on when Khan was in the country, but said he has family living in the United States, thus giving him a permanent point of contact. The sources suggested his family is under sporadic surveillance.

Khan provided intelligence on suspension bridges, the sources said, but they characterized his information as "preliminary" -- not a practical plan of action.

They said U.S. intelligence has Khan "in their sights."
The sources would not say where he is, except to say he is not currently in the United States. The information concerning Khan was first reported by Newsweek.

Meanwhile, the FBI continues to search for other people identified by Mohammed, including Adnan el Shukrijama, Aafia Siddiqui and Mohammed Khan.

The FBI on March 20 put out a bulletin regarding Shukrijama, saying it is believed he is part of a current terrorist plot directed at the United States. Officials believe he is not currently in the country.

Despite persistent reports out of Pakistan, the FBI says Siddiqui has not been taken into custody and the search for her continues. Sources said she is believed to have
provided support to al Qaeda and is the first woman the FBI has identified for questioning in connection to the terrorist organization.

Siddiqui, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is believed to be in Pakistan. Mohammed Khan is believed to be her estranged husband.


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