An Al Qaeda-linked neuroscientist has been convicted of attempting to kill American personnel while she was being detained in Afghanistan. After two days of deliberations, a Manhattan jury found the 37-year-old guilty of seven counts of attempted murder for grabbing an M-4 rifle and opening fire on U.S. soldiers and FBI agents who wanted to question her about her possession of bomb-making notes and a list of potential terror targets, according to the Post. She was not charged with any terror-related offenses.
Siddiqui—who repeatedly interrupted courtroom proceedings and urged a judge to use genetic tests to keep Jews off her jury—denied any wrongdoing and claimed she had been held for years in secret military prisons, according to 1010WINS. The Daily News reports that Siddiqui said she had never even touched the M-4 rifle, a claim bolstered by the fact her fingerprints were never found on the weapon. But even without much physical evidence, the jury sided with military witnesses, who said she grabbed the unattended gun and opened fire. She faces up to 60 years in prison for attempted murder and armed assault.
