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The US military questioned the woman [Aafia Siddiqui] a day after she was arrested by Afghan authorities on July 17, 2008. The FBI claimed that Afghan forces discovered a number of handwritten notes on her that cited a "mass casualty attack" and mentioned an array of important locations around the US, including the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge. The FBI alleged that Siddiqui managed to grab a US officer's rifle while she was being held "unsecured, behind a curtain" in a room at an Afghan police compound as her interview was about to start. Siddiqui then allegedly fired at a US Army officer and several other servicemen before she was restrained. Siddiqui ended up being shot in the stomach by a soldier, while nobody else was hurt in the incident, which ultimately paved the way for her extradition to the US.

Siddiqui is also believed to have been married to Ammar Al-Baluchi, the nephew of accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The US government alleged she had disappeared after he was brought into custody in 2003, prompting them to place her on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list.

There has been an ongoing public campaign in Pakistan for the woman's return. In October, a crowd of protesters gathered outside the Pakistan Consulate in New York to demand her release, while calling her a "political prisoner" and an innocent victim of the US' War on Terror. Activists have also claimed Siddiqui is being mistreated in prison, having been attacked in July, resulting in burns and solitary confinement.

The Pakistani Senate passed a resolution calling her 'Daughter of the Nation' in 2018, while Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed support for her release and even reportedly discussed the issue with former US President Donald Trump.

All four people who were held hostage at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday are "alive" and "safe," the authorities said as media reported gunfire and sounds resembling that of an explosion at the scene.

Though one male hostage had been released unharmed earlier on Saturday, the three remaining hostages were not able to leave until an FBI rescue team which had flown in from Quantico, Virginia stormed the building following a 12-hour standoff with the suspect.

Shortly after CNN reported that "a loud bang, followed by a short blast of rapid gunfire" came from the synagogue, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that all of the hostages were now "out alive and safe."

Colleyville Chief of Police Michael Miller confirmed that the suspect was "deceased" at a press conference late on Saturday. Noting that the man did not harm hostages "in any way," Miller refused to identify him.

"We have identified the subject but we are not prepared to release his identity or confirm his identity at this time," he added.

The suspect at one point had reportedly threatened to kill the hostages if anyone entered the building and said he had planted bombs in several locations. However, he also reportedly said he did not want to hurt anyone, and subsequently let one of the hostages escape unscathed.

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Novak Djokovic's Australian visa has again been cancelled days before the start of the Australian Open on the basis his presence could "excite anti-vaccination sentiment".

So it's not a health issue. It's because the locals might get dangerous ideas.

On Friday, the Australian immigration minister, Alex Hawke, exercised a personal power to cancel Djokovic's visa, likely to result in the world No 1's deportation and putting him out of contention for the grand slam tournament barring an against-the-odds court victory. Djokovic is due to have an appeal heard in the federal court on Sunday.

The decision means that Djokovic could be effectively barred from re-entering Australia for three years unless he can show in future bids that compelling circumstances exist, such as compassionate or Australian national interest grounds.

In a statement, Hawke said he cancelled the visa "on health and good order grounds, [and] on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so".

At an urgent court directions hearing on Friday evening, Djokovic's counsel, Nicholas Wood, expressed concern at his safety and a potential "media circus" when he is taken into detention after an 8am Saturday interview with immigration officials.

Wood proposed a hearing to consider overturning the cancellation on Sunday, arguing that every minute before the start of the Australian Open was "precious" to his client.

Wood revealed that the basis for Hawke's decision was the potential for Djokovic to "excite anti-vax sentiment", based on his previous statements about vaccines.

He noted this was "radically different" from the reason for the first cancellation and arguing there was was "no rational basis" for the conclusion, in part because Hawke failed to consider the effect of Djokovic's removal.