In February, a jury convicted the 38-year-old woman on seven counts of attempted murder, for grabbing a soldier's assault rifle and opening fire on FBI agents as they tried to interrogate her. According to the indictment, Siddiqui "exclaimed her desire and intent to kill Americans" during the shooting.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement today that Siddiqui will face "the stiff consequences of her violent actions." Siddiqui though, says she is innocent.
Afghan police arrested Siddiqui after they found bomb-making materials, notes referring to a "mass casualty attack" and a list of landmarks in New York that included the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge. She had also listed underwater bombs as a way to attack "enemies."
Siddiqui, who lived in the United States from 1991 to 2002, was at least partly American-trained and received degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University in neuroscience, The Wall Street Journal reported today. Prosecutors said she received training in firearms during her time in Boston.
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In court today, Siddiqui appealed to her supporters to forgive her enemies. "Forgive everybody in my case," she said, according to the New York Daily News. "And also forgive Judge Berman."In Pakistan, though, where many say Siddiqui has been wrongly accused, hundreds took to the streets of Karachi today to protest the United States and call for her release.
At her sentencing, Siddiqui said she didn't want any violence to ensue. "Tell the Muslims, please don't get emotional," she said, according to The Associated Press. "I do not want any violence in my name."
Her defense lawyers had argued that she was mentally ill, but Siddiqui herself disputed these claims.