JACKSON HEIGHTS — An accused wannabe terrorist who allegedly plotted to detonate bombs across the city was fired from her job as an instructor for elementary school-aged kids at a test prep center, the school announced on Saturday.
Asia Siddiqui lost her job as an English-Language Arts tutor at 82nd Street Academics on 35th Avenue after officials there were informed of her arrest on April 2, according to the center.
"Ms. Saddiqui (sic) was hired in January as a temporary worker to teach in our Test Prep program, which prepares students for the New York State tests," the school said in a statement. "She did not work in Early Childhood or any other position for the school."
Siddiqui was a tutor for third through fifth graders, according to Frances Galvez, the assistant administrator for programing.
She was hired in January and cleared all background checks, Galvez said.
Siddiqui had previous experience in other schools, although Galvez did not know which ones.
The school found out about her arrest on Thursday when it was reported by the media. Officials had not been contacted by any authorities, according to Galvez.
Students in the class will finish this week with another instructor, she said. It's not clear how many students were taught by Siddiqui.
As a teacher, she followed the state curriculum and was "great" with her students, according to the school.
"They loved her," Galvez said.
Siddiqui, 31, along with her former roommate, Noelle Velentzas, 28, plotted terror attacks across the city and were in communication with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, prosecutors said.
The pair discussed setting off bombs at the funeral for Det. Wenjian Liu after seeing the huge gathering at the funeral for his partner, Det. Rafael Ramos, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Siddiqui, who prosecutors said had propane gas tanks, bomb-making chemicals and instructions on how to use them as explosive devices at her home in South Jamaica, also bragged to an undercover officer about her language skills.
Her poem "Take Me to the Lands Where the Eyes Are Cooled" was published in a jihadist magazine in 2009, prosecutors said.
In the poem, which was obtained by the undercover officers, Siddiqui said that she "drop[s] bombs" as she swings from a hammock and hits "cloud nine with the smell of turpentine, nations wiped clean of filthy shrines," prosecutors said.
She added that she "taste[s] the Truth through fists and slit throats" and that there is no "excuse to sit back and wait — for the skies rain martyrdom," according to prosecutors.
The 13-week ELA program began in January and students had the option of taking one to four classes a week.
"The program’s goal is to provide both the academic assistance and test-taking techniques to alleviate test-taking anxiety and ensure optimal performance on these standardized tests," the center wrote on its site.
After the school posted about her arrest and termination on Facebook, some parents complained that they didn't mention why she was arrested — and asked that they work with the NYPD to make sure there weren't hazardous materials in the building.
Galvez said they are currently working with parents who have concerns about their children's safety.
