Daniel Patrick Boyd
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Daniel Patrick Boyd (born 1970, also known as Saifullah) is an American who in July 2009 was convicted for his participation in a jihadist terrorist cell in North Carolina.


Biography

Boyd graduated from
T. C. Williams High School Alexandria City High School (formerly named T. C. Williams High School) is a public high school in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, United States, just outside of Washington, D.C. The school has an enrollment of over 4,100 students. The high sch ...
in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was a defensive lineman on the football team. He married his girlfriend, Sabrina, who converted to Islam hours before their wedding. Boyd worked in construction before moving to Peshawar, Pakistan, in October 1989. He was sponsored by a
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
relief group to help refugees from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan by working as a mechanic. He trained with the
mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...
and fought against the Soviet-backed forces in Afghanistan.Associated Press.
7 N.C. Men Charged With Terror Plot
''New York Times'' July 28, 2009.
He took the
Muslim name Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughout ...
Saifullah ("Sword of God"). In June 1991, Boyd and his brother Charles (also a Muslim convert, working as an engineer in Pakistan) were accused of robbing a branch of United Bank in Hayatabad, a Peshawar suburb. It was also alleged that they carried Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin membership cards. In September 1991, a special Islamic court convicted the brothers, who were sentenced to fines, prison terms, and amputation of their right hands and left feet. As the sentence was handed down, Daniel Boyd shouted, "This isn't an Islamic court. It's a court of infidels!" After their convictions, they worked in a prison factory, making carpets and chairs. In October 1991, an appeals court overturned the conviction. The case made international headlines. Boyd maintained his innocence at the time and asserted that it was all a malicious set-up by a bank employee who had made inappropriate advances toward his wife and had tried to pilfer money from the family. Returning to the US, Boyd raised his family of five children: sons Dylan, Zakariya, Luqman, and Noah, and daughter Maryam. In July 2004, the Boyds formed Saxum Walls & Ceilings Inc; in April 2007, the family suffered the loss of Luqman "Luke" Izzudeen Boyd, then 16, in a car accident. Late in 2007, Boyd opened Blackstone Market in
Garner Garner may refer to: Places United States * Garner, Arkansas * Garner, Iowa * Garner, Missouri * Garner, North Carolina Other uses * Garner (surname), a surname * Granary, a grain store * ''Tennessee v. Garner'', a United States Supreme Court cas ...
with business partner Abdenasser Zouhri of Morrisville. A Mediterranean grocery, it offered halal meat and snacks, copies of the Qur'an in English and Arabic, and a place to worship in the back. The store closed in 2008, reportedly due to
the recession ''The Recession'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Jeezy (known at the time as Young Jeezy). It was released on September 2, 2008, by Corporate Thugz, Corporate Thugz Entertainment (CTE) and Def Jam South, Def Jam South Recordings. Th ...
. Boyd was arrested by Federal agents along with seven men in North Carolina on July 27, 2009. They were charged with plotting to wage "violent
jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
" outside the United States. Boyd was accused of recruiting six men, including two of his sons, to take part in a conspiracy "to advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities abroad and committing acts of
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
,
kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
, or maiming persons abroad." According to the indictment, members of the group practiced military tactics and the use of weapons in rural North Carolina, and traveled to
Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon * Ghazzeh, a village in ...
, Israel, Jordan, and Kosovo hoping "to engage in violent jihad." Muslim community members and supporters in North Carolina have been active for him and his co-defendants, and some non-Muslim neighbors and acquaintances in particular have spoken in his defense. A July 30, 2009 CBS news headline about Daniel Boyd is entitled "The Nicest Terrorist I Ever Met," with the subtitle: "Friends, Colleagues and Pakistani Jailers Describe N. Carolina Terror Suspect as Kind, Devoted Muslim." Boyd's older brother Robert Boyd, a practicing Muslim, said the charges sound "like another attempt to associate Islam with terrorism" and the accusations "they're trying to pin on him is pure poppycock as far as I am concerned." Boyd's wife, Sabrina Boyd, has given interviews and written statements professing the Boyds' innocence. Khalilah Sabra, of the Muslim American Society, spoke at a press conference calling on the public not "to rush to judgment", and specifically addressing allegations of terrorist training in Afghanistan, writing that "He was there fighting against the Soviets with the full backing of the United States government, ..I think he thought it was part of his patriotic duty as a Muslim and an American to go there and fight." At Boyd's August 5 detention hearing, at least 100 supporters (relatives, friends, and acquaintances) were in attendance at the federal courthouse in Raleigh; some expressed the belief that the defendants had not violated the law. On February 9, 2011 at the United States District Court in
New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
, Daniel Patrick Boyd pleaded guilty to two counts of the Second Superseding Indictment: conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiracy to commit murder, maiming, and kidnapping overseas. The second count carries a potential life sentence. The government agreed to dismiss nine counts against him in exchange for his plea and cooperation against the remaining defendants. Ultimately, Boyd cooperated with the government, as noted by federal prosecutors during the sentencing hearing on August 24, 2012. After pleading guilty to two counts of the superseding indictment in 2011, Boyd testified at trial against several of his co-conspirators who were convicted in October 2011. Boyd was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment, followed by five years supervised release, and a $3,000 fine. "We must be ever vigilant in the pursuit of those who seek to destroy our way of life. This prosecution is evidence of our commitment to do so," stated U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker.


References


External links


Full text of the federal indictment against BoydHomegrown Violent Extremism Dismantling the Triangle Terror Group
FBI {{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Daniel Patrick 1970 births Converts to Islam People from Willow Springs, North Carolina People of the Soviet–Afghan War Living people T. C. Williams High School alumni Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government