Army boss at NYC trial says soldier didn’t secure rifle before al-Qaida suspect began shootout

Army boss testifies at al-Qaida suspect’s NY trial

NEW YORK — A gunfight at an Afghan police outpost that resulted in attempted-murder charges against a U.S.-trained Pakistani scientist created friction within the U.S. Army over how she got her hands on a soldier’s assault rifle, according to testimony at her trial.

The testimony in federal court in Manhattan also has offered a window into tensions between U.S. and Afghan authorities battling militant forces near the Pakistani border.

U.S. Army Capt. Robert Snyder told a jury on Tuesday that the unnamed soldier, a chief warrant officer, created a deadly risk by not securing his weapon. He described seeing the soldier put down the rifle and turn away to shake hands with police before the gunfire erupted.

He said he recoiled when another captain later approached him about awarding the soldier a medal for valor.

“I told the captain I would not support it — absolutely not,” Snyder said on the first day of testimony at the trial of reputed al-Qaida supporter Aafia Siddiqui.

Prosecutors allege Siddiqui, while detained in a dingy room full of Afghan and U.S. personnel on July 18, 2008, grabbed the unattended rifle and shot at them before she suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach. She has vehemently denied any wrongdoing — sometimes in courtroom tirades that have interrupted the proceedings.

One outburst followed Snyder’s testimony that Afghan police discovered in Siddiqui’s purse handwritten notes mentioning a massive attack and listing landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Wall Street.

“I was never planning a bombing! You’re lying!” the 37-year-old Siddiqui yelled as she was rushed out of court.

A second government witness, FBI agent John Jefferson, testified Tuesday that he and another agent were dispatched to the Afghan police station in Ghazni after U.S. authorities were first told about Siddiqui’s capture.

Jefferson, whose testimony was to resume Wednesday, had orders to take her into U.S. custody. But he said Afghan officials refused to turn her over, instead saying U.S. authorities including Snyder could question her and take a DNA sample at the police station.

Snyder testified he was seated in a 300-square-foot room when he looked toward a yellow curtain and saw a woman kneeling on a bed and pointing the rifle.

“I could see the inner portion of the barrel, which indicated to me it was pointing straight at my head,” he said. “I was absolutely certain there was nothing I could do to get out of her line of fire.”

He said he jumped from his seat, heard the rifle go off more than once and rushed for the door, the last to escape the room. He said he returned seconds later to see an interpreter for the Army struggling to subdue Siddiqui. After that, prosecutors say, the chief warrant officer shot her with a pistol.

Once the shooting stopped, about 150 Afghan security personnel — some wielding rifles and looking “very agitated” — began swarming as about 15 U.S. authorities tried to carry away a still-kicking Siddiqui on a stretcher outside the police station, Snyder said.

“The situation was very tense to say the least,” he said.

The captain said he later “compared notes” with the chief warrant officer and was surprised by his attitude.

The soldier “felt he had saved the day,” the witness said. “He had returned fire, so to speak. … I felt that some of the actions or inactions he took contributed to the situation.”

Synder credited the interpreter who first lunged at Siddiqui with being the real hero.

“I expressed my overwhelming gratitude for what he did,” he said.

Besides the defendant, no one was seriously injured.

Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.