No terrorism charges in Aafia's indictment

NEW YORK - Dr Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist, has been indicted on federal charges that she tried to kill the American interrogators after her arrest in Afghanistan in July, but the document contained no charges of terrorism.

For weeks, US official have been indicating through leaks in the press that they have loads of information linking her to the al-Qaeda terror network, but the indictment unsealed in a US court Tuesday is confined to charges of attempted murder and assault of US agents during an interrogation session in the afghan town of Ghazni.

Meanwhile, Dr Siddiuqi's lead lawyer Elizabeth Fink said her client would plead not guilty to the charges when she is arraigned on Thursday.

Ms Fink also expressed concern that Ms Siddiqui remained in need of medical attention. "She needs further tests," Ms Fink was quoted as saying in The New York Times. "She needs treatment. She needs care.

She needs human rights. She needs to be treated in a humane fashion based on what everybody concedes happened to her. And they're not doing it."

At a press conference last week, Ms Fink expressed her outrage that even after a court-ordered medical examination, Ms Siddiqui, despite her life-threatening condition, has not been provided the recommended treatment.