Al-Qaida suspect's U.S. son held

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. officials say the 11-year-old American son of a suspected Pakistani militant is being held by authorities in Afghanistan.

Assfia Siddiqui's son, Ahmed, is a U.S. citizen by birth and has been in Afghan custody since July when his mother was arrested after a shootout with Afghan police in Ghanzi, the Washington Post said Tuesday.

Siddiqui, a neuroscientist who had been sought as a suspected al-Qaida operative since 2003, is currently lodged in a U.S. federal prison.

Her disappearance five years ago sparked accusations that she had been kidnapped in Pakistan by the CIA.

The Post said U.S. officials had told Siddiqui's family they had no information about her missing son; however, federal prosecutors said photos and recent DNA tests indicate the boy being held in Afghanistan is indeed Ahmed.

Ahmed's two younger siblings remained unaccounted for, the newspaper said.