A bit of news here. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui fired several of her attorneys the other day.

In her own words:

Perhaps, she’s relying on the Pakistani government for legal counsel.

UPDATE: I reached out to the attorneys listed as defense counsel for Siddiqui to get some further detail. Only Elizabeth M. Fink responded indicating that as of February she no longer represents Siddiqui.

Another issue in the background is Siddiqui’s request to “attend” her own trial via video conference. Siddiqui, a Muslim, In previous filings, has complained about the strip search requirement at the Metropolitan Detention Center whenever she met with her attorneys.  It’s unclear whether she is making the video conference request to avoid these searches.

What is clear, though, is that it would make for some strange legal theater to conduct a trial where the defendant is representing herself…from a remote location.