Pakistani scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui was produced in a New York court on Tuesday and was ordered held without bail, with a bail hearing set for August 11 followed by a regular hearing on August 19.
While her family claims that for the last five years that Siddiqui has been missing, she has been in United States custody at the Bagram airbase near Kabul, US officials describe the mother of three as a facilitator for Al Qaeda. She was flown from Kabul to New York in an injured state on Monday and faces charges of attempting to kill American soldiers and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents in Afghanistan.
Ambassador Husain Haqqani told Daily Times that he had assigned a senior embassy official to remain in close touch with the developments. The embassy has also sought access to Siddiqui and offered any assistance she might need. A Pakistan embassy official was present in the court but made no contact with Siddiqui.
Plea: The judge rejected her lawyer, Elizabeth M Fink's plea that the charge against her client should be dismissed. She told the judge that it was inconceivable that Siddiqui, who weighs just 90 pounds, would pick up an M-4 rifle and attack US security agents while in Afghan custody. The charge, Fink said, was "absurd". However, US District Court Judge Ronald L Ellis did not agree.
Siddiqui, her head wrapped in a maroon scarf, looked extremely frail and in a very poor state.
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