-Dr Aafia Fit To Stand TrialDr Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist accused of attempting to kill American soldiers and FBI agents in Afghanistan, has been found competent to stand trial by a US judge in New York City.
The judge, Richard Berman of United States District Court, said in a 36-page decision on Wednesday that Dr Aafia Siddiqui had a rational as well as a factual understanding of the proceedings against her, and could assist her lawyers with her defence. He set a trial date for October 19.
In a previous hearing this month, psychological experts offered conflicting testimony on whether Aafia Siddiqui was faking symptoms of mental illness" as prosecutors claimed or had a genuine mental problems, as her lawyer argued.
Aafia Siddiqui, 37, repeatedly interrupted the competency hearing with a series of interventions, denying that she had shot anyone and declaring at one point: "I want to make peace with the United States of America. I am not an enemy. I never was."
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