By Amjad Qaimkhani
HOUSTON, TEXAS: The funeral prayers of Imad Siddiqui, nephew of jailed Pakistani neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui, were held on Sunday at Sabreen Mosque in Houston after the Zuhr prayers, following his tragic death in a shooting during what appeared to be a carjacking at a local gas station in Allen, Texas.
The 18-year-old university student was shot late Thursday night around 10:30 pm while at the gas station with two friends. Reports indicate that the assailants opened fire on Imad before fleeing in a Chrysler vehicle. Surveillance footage from nearby cameras reportedly helped police identify the suspects, and Pasadena police are actively searching for them.
A friend accompanying Imad at the scene reportedly captured video footage of the crime, and police have recorded statements from all friends present. Family sources have claimed that one of the suspects has been identified as “Oliver.”
Imad was rushed to a nearby hospital following the shooting but succumbed to his injuries. Authorities also recovered a Honda vehicle near the crime scene believed to have been used in the incident.
Imad Siddiqui had recently enrolled in university and was engaged in online vehicle trading. On the day of the shooting, he had visited the gas station near a college in Allen to sell a car with two Latino friends.
Senior journalist Kamran Gilani reported that Imad’s father, Muhammad Ali Siddiqui, is the brother of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, and the family has been long settled in Sugar Land, Texas. Imad’s mother, Dr Lubna Khawaja, serves as a professor of internal medicine at Baylor University, Houston, and his maternal aunt, Humaira Chaudhry, is also a noted physician.
Imad is survived by a 26-year-old brother, Umar Siddiqui, who recently completed his MBBS and is currently doing his residency in San Antonio, and a sister.
The funeral at Sabreen Mosque saw a large turnout from the local community, and Imad was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Almeda Geneva. The family expressed grief over the sudden loss and appealed for justice.
