German-Afghan Man Being Tried on Al-Qaida Charges A German-Afghan man whose information prompted terrorism warnings across Europe in 2010 went on trial in western Germany on Monday on charges he was a member of al-Qaida and another terrorist group. Ahmad Wali Siddiqui looked relaxed as his trial opened at a court in the western city of Koblenz, chatting with his attorneys before beginning a lengthy statement to the court. No pleas are entered under the German system and Siddiqui did not immediately address the charges against him, telling the court about his upbringing and how he immigrated to Germany as a teenager. The 37-year-old was captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July 2010 and while in custody provided details on alleged al-Qaida plots supposedly targeting European cities. He is accused of membership in al-Qaida and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and faces a possible 10 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors allege that Siddiqui trained with both terrorist groups in Pakistan and in the border region with Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, with the aim of taking part in violent jihad, or holy war. Authorities have said he was one of about a dozen radical Muslims who left the northern German port city of Hamburg in 2009 to pursue terrorist training in the border region. German-Afghan Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, center, waits for the beginning of his trial at a court in Koblenz, Germany, Monday, March 19, 2012. The man whose information helped prompt terrorism warnings across Europe in 2010 goes on trial on charges that he was a member of al-Qaida and another terrorist group. "He wasn't my friend," Siddiqui told the Koblenz court. He said they first met when they both worked for the same aviation services company for several months. Despite distancing himself from El Motassadeq, Siddiqui acknowledged that he drove El Motassadeq's father some 400 kilometers (250 miles) to western German Wuppertal in 2002 to visit his son in a prison there. Siddiqui also said he did not personally know Sept. 11 plotter Ramzi Binalshibh and suicide hijacker Mohamed Atta, who had both lived in Hamburg before the attacks.