Al Qaeda repeats call to avenge Aafia Siddiqui

Abu Yahya calls on Pakistanis to 'strike American aircraft, centers and convoys in revenge.'

DUBAI: Al Qaeda repeated on Wednesday calls to avenge Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who was sentenced by to 86 years in jail by a United States (US) court.

In a video published by US-based monitoring group SITE Intelligence Group, Abu Yahya al-Libi called upon Pakistanis to strike American aircraft, centers, and convoys in revenge for the imprisonment of Siddiqui.

Last month, Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri also called for vengeance, and there have been numerous demonstrations in Pakistan calling for the liberation of Siddiqui, 38.

Siddiqui, a mother of three, was found guilty of grabbing a rifle at a police station in the Afghan town of Ghazni where she was being interrogated in July 2008 and of trying to gun down a group of US servicemen and FBI agents. Prosecutors said she opened fire, shouting “death to America!.” She did not hit anyone and was herself shot in the stomach before being subdued.