A Pakistani woman labeled an al-Qaida supporter refused to appear in federal court in Manhattan of New York on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
The woman reportedly refused to answer charges that she tried to kill U.S. soldiers and FBI agents after they detained her this summer in Afghanistan.
Aafia Siddiqui had been expected to plead not guilty to attempted murder and assault charges contained in an indictment unsealed earlier this week. The indictment alleged that she was carrying handwritten notes referring to a "mass casualty attack" and listing the Empire State Building and other New York landmarks when taken into custody.
In court, Siddiqui's lawyers were cited by the AP as telling a judge their client didn't want to go through the humiliation of being strip-searched -- a precaution taken with all prisoners when moved between federal lockups and courthouses.
The lawyers also claimed Siddiqui, before being arrested and brought to New York, had been kidnapped by U.S. operatives and kept in secret captivity in Pakistan. The ordeal, they said, left the U. S.-educated defendant with severe physical and mental problems.
During Siddiqui's interrogation she picked up a soldier's rifle, announced her "desire to kill Americans" and fired the rifle but missed, the AP quoted the indictment as saying. She was wounded by return fire.
Outside court on Thursday, about two dozen demonstrators reportedly protested Siddiqui's arrest and demanded her release. One carried a sign reading, "Release Dr. Siddiqui."
If convicted, Siddiqui, 36, could face up to 20 years in prison.
Source:Xinhua
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