'Lady Al Qaeda's' lawyers angry over extra security checks at court where she's on trial

Photo of Aafia Siddiqui that was used by the government during the jury selection process.

Lawyers for the so-called "Lady Al Qaeda" are up in arms because spectators at her trial have to show identification and sign in.

The extra security check comes on top of a metal detector placed outside the doorway of the Manhattan courtroom where Aafia Siddiqui is on trial for attempted murder.

Her defense team said Thursday the precautions are depriving her of a fair trial.

"The suggestion is that the gallery may be a threat," said Charles Swift.

Grilling spectators, often in front of jurors waiting to get into the courtroom, "is highly prejudicial," Swift told Federal Judge Richard Berman.

"I will look into it," Berman promised.

Voice of America reporter Ayesha Tanzeem said she had to show her driver's license and that court officers copied all the personal information on it.

Brooklyn artist John Dalessi, 29, who said he was simply interested in the case and seeing it first-hand, had to go through the same process.

Siddiqui is accused of snatching an unsecured M-4 Army rifle and opening fire on a American team that had travelled to Ghazni, Afghanistan, to question her July 18, 2008.

She had been arrested by Afghan nation police and accused of carrying poisonous chemicals, handwritten documents about dirty bombs and a list of potential New York City targets. Her lawyers said Siddiqui's fingerprints were not recovered from the weapon.