NEW YORK – A man accused of being an al-Qaida operative has been allowed to cross-examine a convicted terrorist at a U.S. trial.
Abid Naseer questioned Najibulla Zazi (nah-jee-BOO'-lah ZAH'-zee) for about an hour Wednesday. Naseer is acting as his own attorney at his trial in federal court in New York City.
Prosecutors say both men were part of an al-Qaida conspiracy in 2009 to stage attacks in Manchester, England, New York and Denmark. Zazi pleaded guilty in 2010 and agreed to cooperate as a government witness.
In his cross-examination, Naseer sought to distance himself from Zazi by getting Zazi to acknowledge the two had never met before.
Zazi also testified that he never heard his al-Qaida handlers mention Naseer's name.
Naseer was extradited from Britain in 2013. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence.
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