U.S. urged to free female al Qaeda suspect

[Nambe]

Source: ISLAMABAD (Reuters)

Parliamentarians from Pakistan Wednesday met a Pakistani woman detained in the United States on charges of trying to kill U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan and called for her release.

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, a U.S.-trained neuroscientist suspected of having links to al Qaeda was shot in the abdomen by an officer after allegedly grabbing a U.S. soldier's gun during questioning in July and was brought to the United States on charges of attempted murder and assault. ...

... He said Siddiqui told them she had no faith in the U.S. courts hearing her case.

"I have been through living hell," he quoted her as saying."

"We feel she should be unconditionally released and repatriated to Pakistan," he said. "This would be a good gesture by the United States and would go a long way to improve relations between the people of Pakistan and the United States." ...

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4977H120081008?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[Piewhacket]

1. Sorry....

Although its becoming pretty obvious that if there were a legal basis
for detaining her it would have been mentioned (secret reasons are not
legal reasons, inflammatory but unsupported charges are not legal
reasons....).

Still, you can't release her quite yet. She is a material witness
in an imminent criminal investigation as to how it came to be that an 'officer'
shot her while she was in physical custody, and whether false
statements were offered to the government about how that happened,
or for that matter whether false statements were offered to the press
in order to cover up criminal conduct.

Just a routine investigation. Nothing to worry about.
Make her comfortable as possible, access to library, prayer, ice cream,
whatever... its will be a few months yet, as soon as possible.

What? You want to send her back to Pakistan as a "humanitarian and
diplomatic" genture? Do tell.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Oh man

"What? You want to send her back to Pakistan as a "humanitarian and diplomatic" genture? Do tell."

This would be the funniest thing ever, if it wasn't so sadly true at the same time. Then again, she may have children or a husband, etc, that she wants to get back to regardless, and her treatment so far probably hasn't endeared her to the United States. I'd offer her a ride back to wherever she would like to go, and some money for her troubles because damn...

I'd be surprised if she would accept an offer of asylum.

[Nambe]

5. Check this out!

She is quite a character.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aafia_Siddiqui

[happyslug]

11. But how she was shot does not make sense.

The US account of the July 18, 2008 shooting is that FBI agents, interpreters, and several GIs entered the room where Aafia Siddiqui was supposed to be only to find she wasn't there. According to the US account when they didn't find Siddiqui there, the GIs didn't search for her -- they set down their weapons -- whereupon Siddiqui burst from behind a curtain, grabbed an M-4, and opened fire. One interpreter who was accompanying the officers seized the firearm from her. Another heard her say, "Allah akbar!...Get the fuck out of here!" US officials claim they have no idea where Siddiqui has been in the five years since she was captured on March 17, 2003.

Search the room and did not find her???? Then laid down their weapons???? And she was the only person injured??? Now the M-4 is NOT that hard to use, knock the safety off and pull the trigger (if a Round is in the chamber). Looks like the weapons were put down, loaded but probably with the safety on. She would have had to grab the M4 carbine, turn the safety to Semi or Auto and pull the trigger. To someone unfamiliar with the M4 action hard to do (Someone familiar with the M16 or M4 automatic). The AK 47 uses a complete different Safety mechanism (Considered Stronger and better). The M16 safety, when flipped off, goes to either the Automatic or Semi-Automatic position (the operator makes the decision). The AK-47 safety is set up as Safe, Automatic and Semiautomatic modes (One Switch just push further down to get the other mode). In a hurry you will automatically flip it all the way down to the Semi-Automatic mode, given its inherent strength (Second only to the 1898 Mauser Bolt Action) the safety is one of the good points of the AK-47 over the M16.

I point this out for if she is family with any assault weapon it is the AK-47, not the M-16

[tburnsten]

3. A suspect successfully grabbing a weapon

during an interrogation should be shot more than once, that is basic combat survival skills, it would be nice if every soldier's weapon were combat accurate to two thousand yards, had a trajectory like a laser, terminal effectiveness of a 40mm Bofors gun, recoil of a .22 long rifle, the size of a regular handgun, and the capacity of a light machine gun with a long belt, but they aren't, and when someone is a threat to your life, you need to shoot them more than once.

That said this womans case seems to be pretty incomplete, I don't think they put up enough of the story to really tell what happened.

[Piewhacket]

4. yeah, but still

even if a suspect managed to grab a weapon and pose a mortal danger so that there was NO ALTERNATIVE
but to shoot her.... even if all that were true, which is actually smells a bit preposterous and
seemingly fabricated post hoc,

but even then I would be inclined to FIRE and fambe the stupid, dumb, son of a bitch incompetent
piece of crap that allowed a prisoner to get their weapon and pose such a serious threat in the
first place,

wouldn't you?

in fact, I'd feel like shooting the dumb sumbitch 'officer' myself. multiple times, just like you recommend.
(i'd plead justifiable homicide, necessity, provocation, self defense, and temporary insanity). I'd walk.

so I'd really like to know more about this incident, because I'm thinking maybe that 'officer'
can no longer work for me. just a few questions to answer, no big deal.

[happyslug]

10. Why did an interrogator even have a gun???

You are close to the person you are questioning, it is possible for a fight to break out and the pistol lost. Thus the best defense is NO pistol on the interrogator, if a fight breaks out his or her job is to get out of the way of the people with guns who is watching the interrogation from another room, either through a one way mirror, a camera or even an open door.

Remember the two second rule, it takes two seconds between the time you SEE something and whenever you react to it. Thus any assault has a two second head-start on any assault. In that two second he or she can get you gun and shot you. You can NOT stop such an act, but you can prevent such an act BY NOT CARRYING A GUN. Your protection is NOT your own personal weapon but people who are more then two seconds away from the person being interrogated ho can intervene. These people should have guns, assault rifles able to be used as a club (The AK-47 is better at this then the M-16). A better solution would be two guard with billy clubs back up with a third person with a M-16. All three "backup" more then two seconds away (Roughly ten feet from the person who might do the attack).

It may be the woman did attack the investigator and in the fight she was shot, but the reason she was shot was the investigator had a pistol WHEN HE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD ONE. No pistol, two guards with Billy clubs or tasers could take care of the situation without any bloodshed. I hate to say this but this sounds more and more like incompetency than anything else.

[ohio2007]

6. Maybe she only wants to join 'the sisterhood' in heaven

(Female) Suicide bomber kills ten in Iraq - police
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3533504

[Piewhacket]

8. What does this have to do with Siddiqui?

the article you quote has no apparent connection, ohio2007.

as far as I can tell they shot the 36 year-old Siddiqui because she
was a muslim and then arrested her for objecting. That seems to
fit the available facts.

It also appears they might have denied her competent medical care
trying to insure she would die in custody and the questions would
all would go away. That seems to fit the available information too.

That's the trouble when there is no public arraignment and speedy
trial. The government gets to say anything it wants with impunity.
The flaw in their plan, however, is that the government is such a
notorious LIAR that we just don't believe anything they say anymore,
and are therefore prepared to assume the worst and make them
prove it isn't so.

So I'm not quite sure what you are trying to say, ohio2007?
Is there something about Siddiqui you know that we should know?

[Nihil]

9. DFTT ...

Most things that this particular poster quotes have nothing to do
with the subject of the thread and are simply disrupting tactics.

Don't take it personally.
:hi:

[Piewhacket]

12. Ah, then someone IS reading my stuff. ...

i don't take it personal, I try to be responsive in
my posts, and to offer some food for thought.

here, i just couldn't pass an opportunity so generously
presented by the poster to courteously explain
the "alternate viewpoint". (grin)

thanks for comment, and the wave, Nihil.
:hi:

[ohio2007]

13. thats right, I'm just hijacking a thread with a common overlooked theme

most people would never connect the dots. Even if it was a follow up story of freed Kuwaitis released from Gitmo that made their way to Mosul
;)
even their lawyer was at a loss for words over 'the tragedy' for.

[ohio2007]

7. Taliban fighters destroy girls' school in Pakistan

Irish-run school in Pakistan destroyed

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1008/pakistan.html
lol
send the clueless stooge back to Pakistan