WHO IS AAFIA SIDDIQUI, THE PAKISTANI FELON AT THE CENTRE OF THE TEXAS HOSTAGE CRISIS?

Authorities said the man taking hostages inside a Texas synagogue sought the release of a Pakistani lady who is being held nearby on suspicion of attempting to kill American service members in Afghanistan.

Aafia Siddiqui is serving an 86-year prison sentence after being found guilty in Manhattan in 2010 of attempting to shoot US military officials while captured in Afghanistan two years prior.

It was an important conviction in the fight against international extremism for the Justice Department, which had accused Siddiqui of being an al-Qaida operative. However, her supporters, many of whom believed she was innocent, saw the case as an example of an overzealous post-September 11 American justice system.

Let's take a deeper look at the situation:

Aafia Siddiqui, who is she?

She is a Pakistani neuroscientist who attended top universities in the United States, including Brandeis University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In the years following the September 11 attacks, she drew the attention of American law authorities. At a May 2004 news conference, top FBI and Justice Department officials identified her as a "al-Qaida operative and facilitator," warning of intelligence indicating al-Qaida was planning an assault in the coming months.

Authorities in Afghanistan detained her in 2008. Handwritten notes discussing the fabrication of so-called "dirty bombs" and listing potential areas in the United States that could be targeted in a "mass casualty strike" were discovered in her hands, according to American officials.

Authorities say she snatched a US Army officer's M-4 gun and opened fire on members of the US team assigned to interrogate her inside an interview room at an Afghan police compound.

In 2010, she was found guilty of attempting to assassinate US citizens while outside the country. She made rambling speeches during her sentencing hearing in which she delivered a message of world peace — and apparently forgiven the judge. She was irritated by her own lawyers' arguments that she deserved leniency since she was mentally ill.

At one point, she stated, "I'm not paranoid." "That does not sit well with me."

How did people react?

Pakistani officials instantly condemned the sentencing, which sparked rallies across the country and media condemnation.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister at the time, referred to her as a "daughter of the nation" and promised to advocate for her release.

Pakistani politicians have openly explored the concept of exchanges or negotiations in the years following that could result in her release.

Siddiqui, according to Faizan Syed, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Dallas Fort-Worth, was "caught in the war on terror" as well as a political prisoner who was wrongfully accused based on weak evidence. Despite this, H vehemently opposed the kidnapping, calling it "wrong, terrible, and absolutely damaging our attempts to have Dr. Aaifa released."

She has also gained sympathy in the United States from alleged extremists. In an attempt to liberate Siddiqui, an Ohio man who admitted to plotting to kill US military soldiers after receiving training in Syria also planned to go to Texas and attack the federal jail where she is being detained. Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud was sentenced to 22 years in jail in 2018.

What is the status of Siddiqui's detention?

Siddiqui is currently imprisoned in a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. According to court filings, she was attacked by another inmate at the facility in July and suffered major injuries.

Siddiqui's lawyers claimed that another inmate "smashed a coffee mug full with scaling hot liquid" into her face in a lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Prisons. When Siddiqui curled up into a foetal position, the other woman began punching and kicking her, injuring her so badly that she needed to be wheeled to the prison's medical unit, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Siddiqui was left with burns around her eyes and a three-inch scar near her left eye. She also had bruises on her arms and legs, as well as a cheek injury.

Human rights activists and religious groups staged protests in response to the attack, advocating for better jail conditions. Activists have also urged Pakistan's authorities to fight for her release from American imprisonment.