RALEIGH, N.C. — A former CIA contractor on trial for allegedly beating an Afghan detainee during an interrogation grew enraged when the man was not able to answer questions about rocket attacks, a retired Army Special Forces soldier testified yesterday.

David Passaro is charged with beating Abdul Wali over two days in June 2003 while questioning him about attacks on a remote base housing American and Afghan troops. Wali later died.

Mr. Passaro is the first American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It became clear he [Wali] was not going to be a font of information,” a retired chief warrant officer, Brian Halstead, said. “Dave starts getting mad, real mad. Dave starts hollering. Dave is screaming at this guy. … Red in the face, spit flying, finger poking. He was going off.”

Mr. Halstead, who said he was in charge of planning operations in Afghanistan’s Kunar province at the time, said he was in the room with Mr. Passaro and Wali as Hyder Akbar, who is the son of the provincial governor, Fazel Akbar, tried to translate.

Mr. Halstead’s account of Wali’s interrogation matched that of the younger Mr. Akbar, who testified Tuesday that Mr. Passaro was “full of rage” during questioning.

Hyder Akbar said he accompanied Wali to the American base after the governor persuaded Wali to try to clear his name. But four days later, the son received a call from Mr. Passaro asking him to return and pick up his body.

Now a student at Yale University, the younger Mr. Akbar said Wali insisted he was innocent of the rocket attacks.

Prosecutors have charged Mr. Passaro, 40, with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault resulting in serious injury. If convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison.

Mr. Passaro is standing trial in U.S. District Court in his home state under a provision of the USA Patriot Act allowing charges against American citizens for crimes committed on land or facilities designated for use by the American government.