Daniel Patrick Boyd
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Daniel Patrick Boyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 55–56) United States |
| Other names | Saifullah |
| Occupation | drywall installation contractor |
| Spouse | Sabrina Boyd |
| Children | Dylan "Mohammed" Boyd Zakariya Boyd Luqman Izzudeen Boyd (deceased)[1] Maryum Boyd Noah Boyd |
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.
Boyd graduated from George Mason High School in Falls Church, Virginia, where he was a defensive lineman on the football team. He married his girlfriend, Sabrina, who converted to Islam hours before their wedding.[2]
Boyd worked in construction before moving to Peshawar, Pakistan, in October 1989. He was sponsored by a Muslim relief group to help refugees from the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan by working as a mechanic.[2] He trained with the mujahideen and fought against the Soviet-backed forces in Afghanistan.[3] He took the Muslim name 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.[4] 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.[5] The case made international headlines.[2] 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.[2] 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.[6] Late in 2007, Boyd opened Blackstone Market in Garner 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.[2]
