NEW YORK, September 2, 2008 (AFP) - A US court on Tuesday announced the indictment of Pakistani-born, US-educated scientist Aafia Siddiqui, 36, for allegedly attacking US agents as a member of the Al-Qaeda terror network.

Siddiqui was arrested in the central Afghan town of Ghazni on July 17 by Afghan police who said they believed she had been planning a suicide attack.

US officials have described her as a 'treasure trove' of information on Al-Qaeda.

Siddiqui is facing charges of attempting to murder the Americans. Her lawyers allege the incident was invented as a pretext to bring her to US territory. She was on a 2004 US list of suspects linked to Al-Qaeda.

Her arrest was the first time in five years she had been seen publicly and her family and lawyers allege she had been held captive since disappearing in Pakistan in 2003 -- possibly in a secret US or allied prison.