A hostage-taking at a synagogue in Collieville, Texas, was believed by US law enforcement on Saturday to be inspired by the captivity of Afiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani who is serving an 86-year sentence in a Fort Worth prison. He was arrested by the US Army in Afghanistan almost a decade and a half ago, yet his arrest is still resonating today.
Siddiqui's lawyer, Marwa Elbiali, issued a statement on Saturday condemning the hostage-taking at the Beth Israel congregation and urging the person responsible to release the hostages and turn himself in to law enforcement.
Siddiqui is an ambiguous figure to most Americans, but the mother of three is a symbol among Islamic militants.
After ISIS kidnapped American journalist James Foley in Syria in 2012, terrorists sent an email to Foley's family in August 2014 demanding Siddiqui's release.
In 2009, American soldier Bowe Bergdahl was taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. One of the Taliban's key demands for Bergdhal's release was the release of Siddiqui from US custody.
Siddiqui, a modest Pakistani in her mid-thirties, was arrested in eastern Afghanistan in July 2008. US officials said she was carrying documents about the creation of "dirty bombs", which are radiological weapons. She said she was also taking notes about attacks against New York City landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Siddiqui, who lived in the United States between 1991 and 2002, graduated from top US universities with a degree in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in neuroscience from Brandeis.
On July 18, 2008, after Siddiqui was arrested in Ghazni, Afghanistan, he was interrogated by US troops and FBI officials. During that interrogation, Siddiqui found an unclaimed rifle and opened fire on an American officer and other members of the interview team. He also attacked an FBI agent and a US Army officer as they tried to disarm him. He was later charged with attempted murder.
In his native Pakistan, Siddiqui is considered by some to be a victim of the "war on terrorism". Thousands took to the streets in protest after he was convicted for the attempted murder of a US Army officer in 2010.
Now, once again, Siddiqui's imprisonment in Texas is being used as an argument for terrorism against Americans, this time in the United States itself.
The US military may have left Afghanistan in August, but America's long war is still resonating there.