‘Lady of al Qaeda’s’ brother denies any connection to hostage standoff

The hostage taker at a Texas synagogue is believed to be motivated by the case of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national who was convicted in 2010 by a New York City federal court of attempting to kill US military personnel.

She is currently serving an 86-year sentence at Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth, Texas, some 15 miles southwest of Colleyville.

She was dubbed the “Lady of al Qaeda” by the press and her release has become a cause celebre for some Muslim groups, who believe she was imprisoned unjustly.

Some reports had said her brother was the attacker, but Siddiqui’s brother denies any connection to the incident.

Her biological brother, Muhammad Siddiqui, tells the Daily Beast through his lawyer that he is unhappy about being connected to the case.

The suspect may have referred to Aafia Siddiqui during the standoff as his “sister” in a figurative sense.