A US-educated female Pakistani national was arrested in Afghanistan last month after shooting at some FBI officers.
So, she's arrested outside of the US in Afghanistan, she's not a US citizen, and yet for some reason, instead of being sent to Bagram AFB or Gitmo, she's being tried in a federal court in New York, with all the terrorist-loving procedural bells and whistles that come with federal trial, such as hearsay exclusion, Federal Rules of Evidence, habeas corpus, etc.?Aafia Siddiqui, whom the FBI had sought for several years for terrorism, faces federal charges of attempted murder and assault of a U.S. officer and U.S. employees, federal authorities said.
[I]n May 2004 then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller identified Siddiqui among several sought-after al Qaeda members.
However, Amnesty International included her on a June 2007 list as someone for whom there was "evidence of secret detention by the United States and whose fate and whereabouts remain unknown."
Government sources have said that al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed named Siddiqui among al Qaeda's operatives.
Makes no sense to me. I guess the Bush administration wants the terrorists to win, because they always argue that doing exactly this, charging terrorists in federal courts, helps the enemy.
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Kerry Lauerman
Farhad Manjoo
Tracy Clark-Flory
Rebecca Traister
Sarah Hepola
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
"On July 17, 2008, officers of the Ghazni Province Afghanistan National Police ("ANP") observed Siddiqui outside the Ghazni governor's compound. ANP officers questioned Siddiqui, regarded her as suspicious, and searched her handbag. In it, they found numerous documents describing the creation of explosives, as well as excerpts from the Anarchist's Arsenal. Siddiqui's papers included descriptions of various landmarks in the United States, including in New York City. Siddiqui was also in possession of substances that were sealed in bottles and glass jars.
"On July 18, 2008, a party of United States personnel, including two FBI special agents, a United States Army Warrant Officer, a United States Army Captain, and United States military interpreters, arrived at the Afghan facility where Siddiqui was being held. The personnel entered a second floor meeting room -- unaware that Siddiqui was being held there, unsecured, behind a curtain.
"The Warrant Officer took a seat and placed his United States Army M-4 rifle on the floor next to the curtain. Shortly after the meeting began, the Captain heard a woman yell from the curtain and, when he turned, saw Siddiqui holding the Warrant Officer's rifle and pointing it directly at the Captain. Siddiqui said, "May the blood of [unintelligible] be directly on your [unintelligible, possibly head or hands]." The interpreter seated closest to Siddiqui lunged at her and pushed the rifle away as Siddiqui pulled the trigger. Siddiqui fired at least two shots but no one was hit. The Warrant Officer returned fire with a 9 mm service pistol and fired approximately two rounds at Siddiqui's torso, hitting her at least once."
So ... I don't know about anyone else. I sure wasn't there. But I do not automatically believe that an MIT-educated biologist was carrying rudimentary bomb-making supplies and instructions in her handbag, whether she has anything to do with terrorism or not; and I do not automatically believe that a long-sought suspected terrorist was left unguarded in a place where she could easily seize an M-4 rifle.
"Oops?"
Yeah, a lot of things don't add up. Anyone in NYC going to the arraignment?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/04/terror.arrest/index.html
http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2008/08/04/fbi-admits-kidnap-afia-siddiqui
My opinion: stories like this are only for those who have a very strong stomach.