Alleged al-Qaida backer complains about ‘injustices’ as attempted murder case nears trial

By AP
Monday, January 11, 2010

Woman accused of al-Qaida ties wants lawyers fired

NEW YORK — A U.S.-trained scientist accused of shooting at FBI agents and helping al-Qaida continued her pattern of courtroom theatrics on Monday as her attempted murder case neared trial.

Aafia Siddiqui had vowed at previous pretrial hearings to ignore her legal team and demanded a meeting with President Barack Obama about bringing peace to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“They are not my attorneys,” Siddiqui blurted out to spectators moments after being escorted into a Manhattan courtroom Monday. “I have fired them many times.”

She later said: “There’s too many injustices in this court.”

Siddiqui, 37, described by the government as an al-Qaida sympathizer, is accused of grabbing a U.S. Army officer’s rifle during an interrogation in Afghanistan in July 2008 and exchanging gunfire with U.S. soldiers and FBI agents. She survived a gunshot wound to the stomach and was brought to the United States weeks later to face federal charges of attempted murder and assault.

On Monday, defense attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Richard Berman to bar testimony and evidence from Siddiqui’s capture in Afghanistan the day before the shooting. Prosecutors allege she was carrying a list naming the Stature of Liberty and other New York landmarks, and notes about chemical and biological weapons.

Defense attorney Linda Moreno argued a jury should only consider whether Siddiqui’s client fired a weapon — not her motive. She said there were no fingerprints or other forensic evidence that her client even picked up the weapon.

“We’re saying she simply didn’t do it,” the lawyer said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher La Vigne told the judge that the material found on Siddiqui should be allowed as evidence to “provide context to these events.”

The judge said he would rule Wednesday morning before jury selection begins. Opening statements are scheduled for Jan. 19.

Siddiqui is a specialist in neuroscience who trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University. She fled to her native Pakistan in 2003.

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