Aafia Siddiqui

Aafia Siddiqui (ⁱ/ˈɑːfiə siːˈdiːkiː/; Urdu: عافیہ صدیقی‎; born 2 March 1972) is a Pakistani Al-Qaeda operative, who was convicted on two counts of attempted murder of US nationals, officers, and employees, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying and using a firearm, and three counts of assault on US officers and employees. She is currently serving her 86 year sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.

Afia was born in Pakistan and spent here childhood there. In 1990 she went to study neuroscience in the United States and obtained a Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 2001.

In early 2003, during the 2001 Afghanistan War caused by a conflict between United States and Al-Qaeda, Siddiqui returned to Pakistan. In March 2003, she was named as a courier and financier for Al-Qaeda by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad and was placed on a "wanted for questioning" list by the American FBI.

She subsequently disappeared until she was arrested in Ghazni, Afghanistan, by Afghan police, 17 July 2008, with documents and notes for making bombs plus containers of sodium cyanide. She was held for questioning. Siddiqui was shot in the torso the next day by visiting U.S. FBI and Army personnel, after allegedly shooting at them with a rifle one of the interrogators had placed on the floor.

Siddiqui

Siddiqui is a family name or surname. Siddiqui means The Truthful in Arabic. Siddiquis are spread all over the world mainly the Middle east, Asia Pacific and Europe. Siddiquis are the descendants of the first Muslim Caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq of the Rashidun Caliphate (The four Rightly guided Calips). The title "Siddiq" .(The Truthful) was given to Abu Bakr by the Prophet Mohammad himself. Siddiqui is sometimes also rendered as Siddiqi, Sediqi, Siddique, Siddiquee, Siddighi, Sadighi, Seddighi, Sidiki, Siddiki, or Siddiquie.

The Siddiqui surname is found among a number of ethnic groups and communities after its spread from Middle East to Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Between 1690 and the early 20th century, the District of Badaun, in India, was ruled by the Rohilla Siddiqi Nawabs.

Notable Siddiquis