Pakistani indicted in NY for attack on U.S. soldiers

A girl holds a placard during a protest by a non-governmental organization (NGO) to show solidarity with U.S.-trained neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui in Karachi August 15, 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Pakistani woman suspected of links to al Qaeda was indicted on Tuesday on federal charges of attempted murder and assault of U.S. soldiers during a confrontation in Afghanistan in July.

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, a U.S.-trained neuroscientist, resurfaced in August after being declared missing for five years by human rights groups. She was flown by the United States to New York from Afghanistan.

The indictment says Siddiqui was detained by Afghan police in July and brought before U.S. officers for questioning in Afghanistan's Ghazni province on July 18.

She was found to possess "handwritten notes" about a "mass casualty attack" and a list of U.S. locations, including the Empire State Building, the Statute of Liberty, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, the indictment said.

During an interview with U.S. soldiers and others, Siddiqui got control of one of a U.S. officer's rifle and fired it at several members of the interview team. She then attempted to assault other officers, the indictment said.

Siddiqui's lawyers have said they believe she had been secretly detained since March 2003, when she left her parents' home in Karachi to visit her uncle in Islamabad.

In 2004, Siddiqui was identified by the FBI as an "al Qaeda operative and facilitator who posed a clear and present danger to America."

Siddiqui is married to a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who helped plan the September 11 attacks. Her husband was captured in 2003 and is now held at the U.S. military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Siddiqui, who was shot in the abdomen and wounded during the alleged attack, is charged with attempted murder, armed assault, and other charges.

If convicted, she could face life in prison. She is due to be arraigned on Thursday.