Pakistani scientist in U.S. custody

NEW YORK, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S.-educated Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of al-Qaida ties has been returned to the United States from Afghanistan to face charges.

Aafia Siddiqui, 36, accused of shooting at U.S. officers while in Afghan detention, was arraigned in a New York federal district court, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Siddiqui, trained at Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was transferred to New York Monday, the report said.

The FBI had sought Siddiqui for years for terrorism, CNN reported. She faces charges of attempted murder and assault of a U.S. officer and U.S. employees, CNN said.

Siddiqui, who was arrested in Ghazni, Afghanistan, was accused of shooting at two FBI agents and others July 18 after they entered a room where she was being held. She allegedly used an officer's rifle to shoot at the group but no one was injured.

A warrant officer returned fire, shooting Siddiqui as she struggled with the others, the report said. She later received medical attention.

The Times said Siddiqui and her children disappeared in 2003 while visiting her home in Karachi, Pakistan, leading some human rights groups and her family to say they believed she had been secretly detained.

However, the report, citing interviews and a criminal complaint against her, said U.S. officials had no knowledge of Siddiqui's whereabouts until her arrest in Ghazni last month.