Pakistani soldiers killed a top al-Qaida operative Saturday who was indicted in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in a plot to bomb New York’s subway system, the military said in a statement.

It had all the elements of a classic coup: thousands descending on the capital, clashing with police outside parliament and commandeering state TV to demand the ouster of a civilian leader who had locked horns with the military in a country with a long history of turmoil and dictatorship.

Pakistan said Friday this week’s “unprovoked firing” by India set back the peace process between the two nuclear-armed rivals and warned New Delhi to refrain from any “adventure,” saying the army would respond to aggression.