Daily Times - Aafia Siddiqui announces boycott of NYC trial

NYC

Aafia Siddiqui announces boycott of NYC trial

NEW YORK: The trial of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist charged with shooting at her US interrogators in Afghanistan, began on Wednesday with her announcement to potential jurors that she would boycott the case.

Im out of this, Siddiqui, 37, told about 100 potential jurors as lawyers in the case began selecting a jury at Manhattan federal court. Im boycotting the trial, just to let you know. There are too many injustices. The scene marked the latest in a series of courtroom rants by Siddiqui, who has refused to work with her lawyers and lambasted the court since her case began last summer. Her trial had been delayed so that several psychologists could examine her.

Siddiqui, a Pakistani national, is charged with grabbing a U.S. warrant officers rifle in mid-2008 while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistans Ghazni province, and for firing it at FBI agents and military personnel. She was brought to the United States weeks later to face federal charges of attempted murder and assault. According to her U.S. indictment, items found in Siddiquis handbag at the time of her arrest included notes on making explosives and chemical weapons as well as descriptions of a mass casualty attack listing various New York landmarks. If convicted, Siddiqui faces life imprisonment. agencies

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