North Carolina man pleads guilty of 'jihad' terrorism plan

North Carolina man pleads guilty of 'jihad' terrorism plan

2011-02-10 09:00:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) -- A North Carolina man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country, prosecutors said.

Daniel Patrick Boyd, also known as "Saifullah," 40, a resident of North Carolina, during the period from 1989 through 1992, Boyd traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan where he received military-style training in terrorist training camps for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad and willing to die as martyrs, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Boyd was first charged along with seven other people in a federal indictment returned on July 22, 2009, and according to the indictment, Boyd fought in Afghanistan.

From roughly November 2006 through at least July 2009, he also conspired with the others to provide material support and resources to terrorists, including currency, training, transportation and personnel, as well as to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad during this period.

In addition, the defendants raised money to support training efforts, disguised the destination of such monies from the donors, and obtained assault weapons to develop skills with the weapons.   Some defendants also allegedly radicalized others to believe that violent jihad was a personal religious obligation.

Boyd was arrested on July 29, 2009, and around two months later, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment that added additional charges against Boyd and two of the other defendants.

Boyd pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court in New Bern, North Carolina. He is set to be sentenced on May 2011. He faces potential life in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country and a potential 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

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