The attorney representing Aafia Siddiqui, the woman whose case investigators believe could be a motivating factor for the hostage taker, urged the suspect to release the hostages in a statement on Saturday.
“We strongly condemn the hostage-taking at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX,” said Marwa Elbially in a statement. “We implore the hostage taker to immediately release all hostages and turn himself in.”
“We want to verify that the perpetrator is NOT Dr. Aafia’s brother who is a respected architect and member of the community. Whoever the assailant is, we want him to know that his actions are condemned by Dr. Aafia and her family,” the statement added, calling the suspect’s actions “heinous and wrong.”
More on this: Two law enforcement officials earlier told CNN that the man who took hostages at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville appeared to be motivated by a desire to free Siddiqui.
She is serving an 86-year sentence at a federal prison in Fort Worth after being found guilty of seven charges relating to a terror interrogation in Afghanistan. Siddiqui was accused of stealing a US Army soldier’s rifle and firing on members of the American interrogation team, who were not hit. The judge in her US trial ruled that a terrorism enhancement applied to her sentence.
Siddiqui’s appeals are exhausted, according to Elbially, who has petitioned that her client either be pardoned or allowed to serve the remainder of her sentence in her home country of Pakistan. Elbially says she has not been able to speak to Siddiqui since the Texas hostage situation began.
Source: www.cnn.com