WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US authorities yesterday arrested seven people from North Carolina who have been charged with plotting to carry out terrorist attacks overseas, including in Kosovo, Jordan and the Gaza Strip.
US prosecutors said the ringleader of the group, Daniel Patrick Boyd, trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1989 to 1992 and used that experience to set up his own organization to train fighters, raise money and carry out attacks abroad.
A US official told reporters that there was no indication that Boyd’s group was connected with an international militant organization or that they were planning attacks in the United States.
In the seven-count indictment unsealed yesterday in Raleigh, North Carolina, authorities accused Boyd and others, including his two sons, of travelling to Gaza, Israel, Jordan, Pakistan and Kosovo to plan or engage in attacks.
“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,” said George EB Holding, the US attorney for eastern North Carolina.
All seven face up to life in prison if convicted.
They were charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad. Boyd and others also face weapons charges.
