Both the Islamic State and the Taliban, who once again control Afghanistan,
sought to trade Siddiqui for American and European hostages – reflecting her “superstar” status among militants. At one point, jihadists offered James Foley, a journalist captured in Syria and beheaded in August 2014.
The hostage-taker at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville mentioned that he wanted to speak with Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving an...
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U.S. authorities say she worked as a courier for Khalid Sheikh Muhammad – the main architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. She was briefly married to his nephew, Ammar al-Baluchi, who is on trial at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, accused of funneling money to the hijackers. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
The FBI placed her on a list of its seven most wanted al-Qaeda fugitives in 2004, the only woman to make that list.