Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted of attempting to murder an FBI agent in 2010, asked for a presidential pardon from US President Joe Biden before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump.
Siddiqui, 52, maintains his innocence and says new evidence could support his case.
She was sentenced to 86 years in prison for an incident in Afghanistan, where she allegedly attacked an FBI agent while in custody.
His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, presented a detailed file to President Biden urging him to grant a pardon, arguing that intelligence failures led to his wrongful conviction.
It claims Siddiqui was kidnapped by Pakistan’s intelligence agency in 2003 and handed over to the CIA, which then tortured her.
Despite the controversy surrounding his case, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou and others insist that Siddiqui had ties to Al Qaeda and was an important figure in its network.
However, Siddiqui’s family continues to argue that he was the victim of injustice and his sister, Fowzia, has campaigned for his release for almost two decades.
With Biden’s term set to end soon, there are concerns that Siddiqui will not receive the relief he seeks before Trump’s inauguration.
His legal team hopes for immediate intervention to prevent his prolonged incarceration.
How did Dr. Aafia Siddiqui end up in Texas?
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case began in 2003, after the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the mastermind of Al-Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks. Siddiqui, allegedly married to KSM’s nephew, disappeared with her children in Karachi, later earning the title “Lady Al-Qaeda” due to alleged links to Al-Qaeda.
In 2008, she was arrested in Afghanistan, allegedly carrying sodium cyanide and plans to attack US targets. During interrogation, Siddiqui allegedly grabbed a U.S. soldier’s rifle and attempted to shoot U.S. agents. She was injured in the process and later showed signs of serious abuse.
Siddiqui’s son was released in Afghanistan, while the whereabouts of his other two children are unknown. In 2010, she was convicted of attempted murder in the United States and sentenced to 86 years, although she was never accused of direct links to terrorism.
