Aafia Siddiqui,a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan,has been sentenced to 86 years in prison by a court in Manhattan. The 38-year-old MIT-educated Siddiquis case had attracted wide attention,particularly in Pakistan,where she was widely portrayed as a heroine. The judge at the Federal District Court in Manhattan Richard M Berman said significant incarceration was called for,as he expressed concern about the likelihood of recidivism and difficulty of rehabilitation for the defendant. An indictment had charged that when Siddiqui was arrested in 2008,she was carrying instructions on making explosives and a list of New York landmarks. But it was her assault on a team of US officers and FBI agents who went to question her that led to her conviction in February on charges that included attempting to kill US officers with an M-4 rifle of a US soldier. Siddiqui,who has degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University,at her sentencing,rolled her eyes and made dismissive motions when one of her lawyers argued on her behalf. Her legal team has maintained she was mentally ill,but prosecutors and the judge and Siddiqui disagreed. In long and rambling statements on Thursday,Siddiqui said that she forgave the soldier who had shot her,and the judge.
