Feds: NC terror suspect promoted jihad in home

[August 05, 2009]  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A North Carolina man accused of leading a group plotting terrorism abroad was recorded saying "I love jihad" and preaching the virtues of fighting for Allah, federal authorities said Tuesday.

A detention hearing for Daniel Patrick Boyd and six other suspects was packed with supporters, some derisively laughing when federal agents said they didn't know certain Arabic translations or details about the men. The shackled suspects nodded, smiled and tried to wave at family and friends in the courtroom while greeting the audience in Arabic with the common phrase "May peace be upon you."

"May peace be upon you, also," many responded.

Authorities played a recording gathered six weeks ago of the 39-year-old Boyd talking in his home to his family about protecting Muslims at all costs.

"I love jihad. I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah," a voice identified as Boyd said. Prosecutors didn't say how the recording was made.

Prosecutors played tapes of Boyd's manifestos about the struggle of Muslims, the honor of martyrdom and his disgust with the U.S. military. Other tapes rattled with gunfire that an FBI agent said came from military-style training in rural North Carolina.

Special Agent Michael Sutton testified that Boyd recruited followers to engage in violent jihad, train on firearms and gather the financial resources to travel overseas. The agent said Boyd repeatedly spoke of armor-piercing ammunition and a year ago told someone authorities called a witness about his dislike of the U.S. military being in the Middle East. Authorities say Boyd had more than two dozen guns and 27,000 rounds of ammunition.

"They're over there killing our brothers," Sutton quoted Boyd as saying.

Sutton said Boyd recruited followers with stories of his past. Boyd told the FBI he had trained in a secret Connecticut camp before going to Pakistan and Afghanistan two decades ago to continue training there.

Boyd's two sons -- 20-year-old Zakariya and 22-year-old Dylan -- have also been indicted. The other suspected group members are Anes Subasic, 33; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; Ziyad Yaghi, 21; and Hysen Sherifi, 24. An eighth man, Jude Kenan Mohammad, is still at large and Sutton said Tuesday authorities last heard he was in Pakistan.

Sutton said some of the men took trips over the past three years to Jordan, Kosovo, Pakistan and Israel "to engage in violent jihad." He frequently cited unidentified witness statements.

The investigation began in 2005, Sutton said.

There are signs Boyd knew he was being watched. Sutton said Boyd tried to communicate in ways that couldn't be monitored, such as writing warnings to his followers to be quiet while in his grocery store, and possibly talking in code. He also said a witness reported in July 2008 that Boyd was worried that the FBI was listening to his conversations.

Federal officials said they seized from Boyd's home and cars the ammunition, 26 weapons, gas masks, a handbook on how authorities respond to acts of terrorism and the text of a fatwa urging jihad against Americans. Sutton said there was a trench dug under the Boyd's deck that a witness described as a place to hide weapons.

They seized thousands of dollars in cash and released an audio tape of Boyd apparently talking about getting more money by robbing Wells Fargo trucks and banks.

Attorneys for the suspects questioned prosecution witnesses but did not say whether their clients were innocent and later declined comment.

Family members and close friends also didn't want to talk, but some supporters said they believed the men were innocent or being unfairly targeted.

"Maybe there's some bad Muslims in there, but just because you have a head scarf and faith in your heart doesn't mean we're aliens," said 37-year-old Shagufta Syad, one of Boyd's supporters. "I just want justice to be served. I'm here concerned as a Muslim, as an American, I need to know what's going on."

The hearing to determine whether the men will be held until trial will continue Wednesday.

[Associated Press; By MIKE BAKER]

Associated Press writers Alysia Patterson in Raleigh and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

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