An MIT-educated mother of three accused of trying to gun down US military officials in Afghanistan rolled into Manhattan federal court in a wheelchair yesterday and complained she’s been denied medical treatment for a gunshot wound.
A magistrate ordered prison officials to have a physician examine Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, 36, a suspected al Qaeda operative who was missing for five years before her arrest for allegedly starting a shootout in a secure facility in Afghanistan.
In the latest twist in the strange saga, lawyers for the pint-sized Siddiqui told Judge Henry Pitman she is suffering from extreme pain in her abdomen, which was operated on in Afghanistan, and has not seen a doctor since her arrival in New York last week.
Assistant US Attorney Chris Levine said Siddiqui had initially refused treatment by a male physician.
Defense attorney Elizabeth Fink explained her client has since expressed willingness to see any doctor.