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3 men in US terror ring get 15-45 years in prison | |||||
2012-01-15 | |||||
NEW BERN, North Carolina: Three members of a homegrown terror ring who conspired to attack the Quantico US Marine Corps base and foreign targets were sentenced Friday to between 15 and 45 years in federal prison.
Dozens of members of Raleighs Muslim community made the five-hour round-trip to coastal New Bern to witness the hearing for the men whom supporters believe were unjustly convicted.
I believe I am innocent. There was no conspiracy, said Serifi, who called his guilty verdict unfair and prosecutors tyrants. But US District Judge Louise Flanagan said the men went beyond talk to planning violence. Yaghi was a self-starter in pursuing holy war against those deemed un-Islamic and brought several potential jihadi recruits to ringleader Daniel Patrick Boyd, whose rural Johnston County home was a warehouse of weapons, Flanagan said. Yaghi traveled to Jordan and Israel to look for avenues to join other militants and to scout targets for an attack. Sherifi discussed an attack on the Quantico, Virginia, Marine Corps base with Boyd, a Muslim convert who had lived on the base as a child with his Marine officer father. Hassan used his Facebook account and Internet forums to post his own comments and videos by others encouraging Muslims to fight nonbelievers and Muslims who did not agree with their desire to establish mandatory religious law, prosecutors said. Hassan also attempted to contact Anwar Al-Awlaki, an American-born Muslim preacher and Al-Qaeda propagandist, and e-mailed a co-conspirator a copy of Al-Awlakis tract 44 ways to support Jihad, Flanagan said.
The trio is among eight men who federal investigators say raised money, stockpiled weapons and trained in preparation for jihadist attacks. The plot had a specific purpose to inspire others to adhere to radical Islam and if you did not you were fair game, prosecutor Jason Kellhofer said. Hassan called his actions stupid, but not a crime. I did post some highly inflammatory things on the Internet, but I am no terrorist, he said. He rejected Flanigans sentence, and his father, Aly Hassan, accused the judge and prosecutors of targeting Muslims.
Yaghi was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism and conspiracy to carry out attacks overseas. Sherifi was convicted of both crimes, two counts of firearms possession, and conspiracy to kill federal officers or employees for plotting the Quantico attack. Hassan was convicted of providing material support to terrorists, but acquitted of a charge of conspiracy to carry out attacks overseas. Boyd pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges in February and has yet to be sentenced. Two of his sons pleaded guilty to similar charges and were sentenced to eight years and nine years in prison. Another defendant, Anes Subasic, is set to be tried separately, while an eighth indicted man is at large and believed to be in Pakistan.
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Dupe URL: FBI informant says Triangle terrorist cell leader intent on jihad | |
2011-09-23 | |
An FBI informant testified Wednesday that the man accused of heading up a terrorist cell in the Triangle routinely spoke about waging a holy war. The informant, a Muslim of Moroccan descent who goes by the code name "Jawbreaker," told a federal jury in New Bern that he got so close to Daniel Patrick Boyd that he was with him at the time of his arrest in July 2009. Boyd pleaded guilty in February to charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country. He is expected to be a key witness in the trial of three other men charged in the case. Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, Ziyad Yaghi and Hysen Sherifi face multiple felony charges related to allegations they conspired to attack targets overseas. Sherifi also is accused of plotting an attack on the Marine base in Quantico, Va. A federal indictment unsealed in 2009 alleges that eight Triangle men raised money to buy assault weapons and conduct training exercises and that they arranged overseas travel and contacts to help others carry out violent acts on behalf of a radical jihadist political agenda. In audio recordings of conversations between Boyd and Jawbreaker that were played in court, Boyd talked about his intentions to attack Quantico. He spoke of how easy it would be to get on the base because it's also a city. "I did some preliminary reconnaissance, and what I saw was amazing. I saw the residences of all their commanding officers," Boyd said in one recording, adding that Sherifi was in on the plan. Jawbreaker said Boyd was intensely loyal to Afghanistan, where he traveled in 1989 to join the fight against Soviet occupation. Boyd always wanted to fight non-Muslims, the informant said. "Every single day, it was about jihad and fighting," Jawbreaker testified. An FBI search of Boyd's Willow Spring home in 2009 turned up about two dozen guns and more than 27,000 rounds of ammunition.
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FBI informant says NC terrorist intent on jihad | |
2011-09-22 | |
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Dylan Boyd pleads guilty in NC terror trial |
2011-09-18 |
Dylan Boyd was on his way to a shooting range two years ago when federal authorities arrested him - accusing him and seven others with being part of a terror group conspiring to wage jihad overseas. On Wednesday, four days before the trial of three of the suspects is scheduled to begin, Boyd, 24, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting a conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. He faces up to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised probation. Sentencing is set for December in a case that also brought pleas in February from Dylan Boyd's brother, Zakariya, and their father, Daniel Patrick Boyd, 41, the accused ringleader of the group. Daniel Boyd pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism between November 2006 and July 2009 and conspiracy to "murder, kidnap, maim and injure people in a foreign country." Zakariya pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Neither will be sentenced until after the trial, which is projected to take nearly two months. Daniel Boyd, described by his neighbors as a friendly drywall contractor and devout Muslim, is expected to be a key witness for the prosecution. The plea this week provided a look at evidence that prosecutors plan to present next week in a trial that could offer insight into the use of FBI informants to build terrorism cases. Prosecutor John Bowler said that federal investigators had gathered 800 hours of recordings, 750 hours of which might be used in trial. The government also collected email and other documents. Dylan Boyd, according to prosecutors, can be heard on at least 40 of the government recordings. Prosecutors allege that Dylan Boyd, who was living at home with his father much of the time, can be heard instructing some of the accused on how to travel through Turkey and across the Black Sea to Chechnya to try to join the jihadi brigade. Bowler alleged that Dylan Boyd also helped raise funds for a compound the group planned to build in Kosovo where food could be grown and weapons could be kept. Prosecutors also said Dylan Boyd was with his father and brother when they met FBI agents in a bookstore. Though Dylan Boyd did not go inside the store he was armed, Bowler said. While providing the judge facts to support his case against Dylan Boyd, Bowler described the house that the Boyd's lived in as one with an arsenal of weapons - guns in every room and gas masks in some. Prosecutors accused the elder Boyd of recruiting his co-defendants to help him plan "violent jihad" attacks on government facilities and kill members of the U.S. military. The indictment accused the defendants of training in military-style tactics and traveling to the Middle East and Kosovo hoping to kill, kidnap and maim in the name of jihad. During a 2009 detention hearing, feds played audio tapes of Boyd talking in his home about protecting Muslims at all costs. The tape included long conversations about the struggle of Muslims, his disgust with the U.S. military, and martyrdom. Defense attorneys for the three scheduled for trial next week oppose having the tapes admitted as evidence. The issue has not been decided. |
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American pleads guilty to jihad |
2011-02-09 |
An American accused in a plot "to advance violent jihad" abroad pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to murder and other terrorism-related charges. The Justice Department said Daniel Patrick Boyd, also known as "Saifullah," pleaded guilty in federal court in North Carolina to charges of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country. Boyd and seven others were charged in a federal indictment on July 22, 2009, and was arrested a week later. Investigators say Boyd traveled to Af-Pak during the period from 1989 through 1992 "where he received military-style training in terrorist training camps for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad." After training, according to the indictment, he fought in Afghanistan. From November 2006 until at least July 2009, Boyd "conspired with the other defendants to provide material support and resources to terrorists, including currency, training, transportation and personnel." "The object of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, was to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of murder, kidnapping or maiming persons abroad." At the time of the arrests, authorities said Boyd was the mastermind of the group, which included two of his sons and that they "were were willing to die as martyrs." Boyd will be sentenced in May. He faces a potential life term in prison for the murder conspiracy charges, with the rest of the charges carrying a potential term of 15 years. |
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NC town braces for terror trial |
2010-08-03 |
![]() A U.S. District Court spokeswoman, Robin Zier, told the Sun Journal that the trial could be held sometime next year, but no court has been designated. It could be held in U.S. District Court in New Bern or Raleigh. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flannigan is assigned the case, she said. Facing charges are: Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, the suspected ringleader of the group.All are U.S. citizens except for Sherifi. They all face life sentences if theyre convicted of the charges of conspiracy to take part in a terrorist plot. The men were indicted July 2009 and for conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad. Daniel Patrick Boyd of Johnston County went under the alias of Saifullah. The indictment said Boyd trained in Afghanistan from 1989-1992 and fought in the Soviet war in Afghanistan, which ended in 1989. According to David Kris, an assistant attorney with the U.S. Justice Department,Daniel Patrick Boyd is a veteran of terrorist training camps in Pakistan, who over the past three years, has conspired with others in this country to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill. Boyd received military-style training for the purpose of engaging in terrorist training for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad. The indictment also says that Boyd and several of the accused traveled to Israel in June 1997 to engage in violent jihad but subsequently returned to the U.S. after failing in their efforts. Across the street from the federal courthouse in New Bern is Centenary Methodist Church, which also has a day care facility. The senior pastor of the church, the Rev. Susan Pate Greenwood, said no notices had been sent to parents of day care students because no notification of a trial date has been made. There had been rumors, but no official notification from federal officials had been made with church officials, Greenwood said. Greenwood said if the trial is held in New Bern next year, notifications would be sent out to parents. We have no hard evidence of such a trial, but will be in contact with federal officials, she said. |
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Kosovo man charged with supporting N.C. terror suspects |
2010-06-18 |
A man arrested in Kosovo is linked to the eight Triangle-area men suspected of plotting terrorist attacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Bajram Asllani, 29, an ethnic Albanian and native of Mitrovico, Kosovo, was convicted of terrorism in Serbia but had been living out in his home country when he was arrested Thursday following an extradition request from the United States, police said. He faces charges of providing material support to terrorists and conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure persons. An April 19 criminal complaint unsealed Thursday alleges that Asllani conspired with eight men charged last July with plotting a series of terrorist attacks overseas and securing weapons and training in North Carolina. Seven suspects Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, his sons, Dylan Boyd, 22, and Zakariya "Zak" Boyd, 20, and Hysen Sherifi, 24, Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22, Ziyad Yaghi, 21, and Anes Subasic, 33 are being held in the U.S. An eighth suspect, Jude Kenan Mohammad, 20, is believed to be in Pakistan. The criminal complaint alleges that Asllani was in contact with the other suspects, solicited money for them and helped them travel with the purpose of establishing "a base of operations in Kosovo for the purpose of waging violent jihad." Sherifi became acquainted with Asllani during a July 2008 trip to Pristinia, Kosovo, court documents say. The documents say that Asllani directed Sherifi to return to the U.S. and collect money to establish a community in Kosovo, which would be used to store weapons and ammunition and as a base to launch attacks in Kosovo and other countries. Sherifi returned to the U.S. in April 2009 and collected $15,000 but was arrested before he could return to Kosovo, documents say. Sherifi is also accused of giving Asllani money for travel documents. The court documents say that Daniel Boyd said he wanted to go, along with his sons, to Kosovo. The sons and Sherifi allegedly talked with Asllani online. U.S. authorities said that Asllani was placed under house arrest by Kosovo law enforcement in 2007. In September 2009, a Serbian court convicted him in abstentia on terror-related charges and sentenced him to eight years in prison. Kosovo police said the arrest and a search of Asllani's home were authorized by a judge with the European Union's Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX. Police spokesman Baki Kelani said they only had executed the arrest warrant, and everything else was handled at the diplomatic level between both countries and EULEX. |
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Islamic Radicalization U.S.A. |
2009-12-24 |
by Ryan Mauro If a major homegrown terrorist attack happens on U.S. soil in the coming years, 2009 will be looked at as the year when the warning signs were missed. According to the Rand Corporation, the U.S. has experienced 30 homegrown terrorism plots since 9/11. One-third of these occurred in 2009; a frightening spike that warrants more attention than it is currently being given by public officials. The Obama Administration began its term by refusing to include terms like "radical Islam" as part of its lexicon. The Global War on Terrorism was alternatively called an "overseas contingency operation" or "a campaign against extremists who wish to do us harm." The Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, described terrorism as a "man-caused disaster. When asked about not even mentioning the word "terrorism" in her first address to Congress, she said, "That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear towards a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur." The homegrown terrorist activity this year has startled the Obama Administration, which now is forced to privately conclude that the radicalization of American-Muslims is increasing. In today's 30-second news culture, shocking incidents such as these quickly fade away as the topic of coverage as other news develops. A summary of some of the biggest incidents this year is needed for the American people to understand how much activity took place: * In May, authorities broke up a plot by four prison converts to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx and fire Stinger missiles at aircraft flying around the Air National Guard base in Newburgh , New York . * On June 1, a Muslim convert shot up a military recruiting center in Arkansas, killing one soldier and wounding another. The attacker, Abdulhakim Muhammad, was previously jailed in Yemen for traveling on a fraudulent Somali passport. Robert Spencer of JihadWatch.org reported that a "well-placed source" informed him that he had gone to Yemen to try to study under a radical cleric named Yahya Hajoori. * In July, seven Muslims were arrested in North Carolina for training with high-powered weapons in preparation to join a jihad overseas. The leader of the group, Daniel Patrick Boyd, had previously trained in guerilla camps in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and enlisted his two sons in his plans. * In September, FBI and local law enforcement raided two apartments owned by Afghans in New York after the occupants were visited by Najibullah Zazi, a suspected terrorist who had traveled to an Al-Qaeda training camp last year. Nine backpacks and cell phones were confiscated, and Zazi was found to have purchased chemicals similar to those used in the 2005 London subway bombings, causing concern that the suspects were planning an attack styled after that operation. * Also in September, FBI sting operations led to the arrest of two desiring to carry out acts of terror. A Jordanian named Michael Finton, an admirer of the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, was arrested for planning to set off car bombs outside of a courthouse in Illinois and a skyscraper in Texas . Hosam Maher Husein Smadi was arrested in Texas after trying to detonate a decoy car bomb underneath an office tower. * In October, the FBI tried to arrest a radical imam in Detroit connected to a range of criminal activity. When they arrived at a warehouse to get Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, he responded with gunfire, killing one of the FBI's dogs before he was shot and killed. Six of his associates were arrested. In the same month, Tarek Mehanna was arrested in Boston for planning to attack a shopping mall and assassinate two public officials. * The next month, Nidal Malik Hassan carried out the horrific shooting at Fort Hood , killing 13 people. He is now known to have previously expressed his support for suicide bombers and to have communicated with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical imam in Yemen who has acted as a recruiter for Al-Qaeda and praised Hassan's shooting. To this day, President Obama and senior officials have not publicly described the incident as terrorism. * Most recently, five Americans were arrested in Pakistan on their way to link up with the Al-Qaeda and Taliban. They were arrested at the home of a member of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group, who is the uncle to one of the suspects. These are only some of the major incidents related to radical Islamic activity in the U.S. that occurred this year. A total of 14 Somali-Americans from Minnesota have been indicted for helping to recruit fellow members of their community to join the Al-Shabaab terrorist group fighting for control of Somalia . The case of Rifqa Bary received considerable attention, as did the honor killing in Arizona of a daughter by her father for being "too Westernized." The Christian Action Network, where I serve as a national security researcher, released the "Homegrown Jihad" documentary in February about the isolated communities in the U.S. run by a radical Islamic group used as paramilitary training and recruitment centers. A new tape provided to me as part of CAN's investigation into the group called "Muslims of the Americas " shows female recruits of the organization receiving such training at their headquarters in New York called "Islamberg." The media is failing to compile all these events and see the frightening increase that the Obama Administration is now admitting exists. When the problem is mentioned, the ideological component is not discussed or is misunderstood. On December 12, Kimberly Dozier reported on the Obama Administration's realization regarding the problem on CBS Evening News, but attributed the rise in homegrown terrorism to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , saying they were "portrayed by the militants as America 's war on Islam." Dozier also said that "Muslim community leaders here say young people are also being driven to extremes by post-9/11 anti-Muslim propaganda" and cited the Council on American-Islamic Relations as saying that civil rights complaints by Muslims have increased by ten percent in 2009, attempting to draw a connection between bigotry against Muslims and homegrown terrorism. If Dozier had done her research on her source, she would have found that the view of the War on Terror as a war on Islam that she says is causing the increase in homegrown terrorism is actually promoted by CAIR. 2009 should put to rest the idea that any homegrown terrorist plot is an isolated incident. The participants in these plots might not be operationally connected, but a political-religious ideology binds them together. The fight for the home front continues into 2010. |
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7 in North Carolina charged with supporting terrorism |
2009-07-28 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal authorities have charged seven men in North Carolina with supporting terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder abroad, the Justice Department announced Monday. Officials said one of the men, identified as North Carolina resident and U.S. native Daniel Patrick Boyd, had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he trained in terrorist camps to carry out "violent jihad." Boyd, 39, who went by the name Saifullah, was charged along with two of his sons: Dylan Boyd, 22, also known as Mohammed, and Zakariya Boyd, 20. The four others also are residents of North Carolina, and all seven are accused of engaging in weapons training and military tactics in their home state, the Justice Department said. "We consider this significant. We've been watching them for some time, and we think they were dangerous," said a federal law enforcement official who asked not to be identified. The Boyd family and defendant Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan are identified as U.S.-born citizens. Defendant Hysen Sherifi is identified as a native of Kosovo who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, and Hiyad Yaghi and Anes Subasic are said to be naturalized U.S. citizens. Officials did not immediately identify their native countries. So...I wonder which one's the informant? Eenie .. meenie .. meinie .. ... ... Mo? The indictment, made public by the Justice Department, says Daniel Boyd and others left the United States for Israel in June 2007 to "engage in violent jihad but ultimately returned to the United States after failing in their efforts." Find out the Joooos play for keeps, did ya? The defendants, with a substantial cache of weapons, had "practiced military tactics and use of weapons on private property in Caswell County, North Carolina, in June and July 2009," the indictment says. The documents make no reference to a direct threat to individuals or property in the United States. In a written statement, the Justice Department's top counterterrorism official, David Kris, said that Daniel Boyd, "a veteran of terrorist training camps" had conspired with others to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill." The U.S. attorney in Raleigh, George E. B. Holding, said, "These charges hammer home the point that terrorists and their supporters are not confined to the remote regions of some far-away land, but can grow and fester right here at home." The defendants made an initial appearance in federal court in North Carolina. Officials said they are expected to return to court Thursday for detention hearings. |
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