Seven charged with plotting 'jihad' in US

This undated photo by the City County Bureau of Identification in Wake County shows Daniel Patrick Boyd. Photo Courtesy: AP.

A father, his two sons and four other North Carolina men are accused of military-style training at home and plotting "violent jihad" through a series of terror attacks abroad, federal authorities said on Monday.

Officials said the group was led by Daniel Patrick Boyd, a married 39-year-old who lived in an unassuming lakeside home in a rural area south of Raleigh, where he and his family walked their dog and operated a drywall business.

But two decades ago, Boyd, who is a US citizen, trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan and fought against the Soviets for three years before returning to the United States.

An indictment released on Monday does not detail any specific terrorist plans or targets overseas, although it claims some of the defendants traveled to Israel in 2007 with the intent of waging "violent jihad" and returned home without success.

"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," US Attorney George EB Holding said. He would not give details of the alleged plots beyond what was in a news release and indictment.

The seven men made their first court appearances in Raleigh on Monday, charged with providing material support to terrorism. If convicted, they could face life in prison. Court documents charged that Boyd, also known as 'Saifullah,' encouraged others to engage in jihad.

Boyd's beliefs did not concur with his Raleigh-area moderate mosque, which he stopped attending and instead began meeting for Friday prayers in his home, said Holding, who did not say whether any or all the defendants met with him.

"These people had broken away because their local mosque did not follow their vision of being a good Muslim," Holding said. "This is not an indictment of the entire Muslim community."

In 1991, Boyd and his brother were convicted of bank robbery in Pakistan - accused of carrying identification showing they belonged to the radical Afghan guerrilla group, Hezb-e-Islami, or Party of Islam. Each was sentenced to have a foot and a hand cut off for the robbery, but the decision was later overturned.

Their wives told The Associated Press in an interview at the time that the couples had US roots but the United States was a country of "kafirs" - Arabic for heathens.

Jim Stephenson, a neighbor of Daniel Boyd in Willow Spring, said he saw the family walking their dog in the neighborhood and that the indictment shocked the residents.

"We never saw anything to give any clues that something like that could be going on in their family," Stephenson said.

Two of the suspects are Boyd's sons: Zakariya Boyd, 20 and Dylan Boyd, 22. The others are Anes Subasic, 33; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; and Ziyad Yaghi, 21.

Hysen Sherifi, 24, a native of Kosovo and a US legal permanent was also charged in the case. He was the only person arrested who was not a US citizen.

No attorneys for the men were listed in court records.

Reached at her home in Silver Spring, Md, Boyd's mother said she had not heard of their arrests and knew nothing about the current case. "It certainly sounds weird to me," Pat Saddler said. "That's news to me."

Hassan's father declined to comment Monday night while others did not have listed numbers or did not return calls.

It's unclear how authorities learned of the activities, although court documents indicate that prosecutors will introduce evidence gathered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

After the unsuccessful attempt at jihad in Israel, the men returned home, officials said. Court papers also say Yaghi went to Jordan to engage in jihad in 2006.

Boyd was also accused of trying to raise money last year to fund others' travel overseas to fight. One of the men, Sherifi, went to Kosovo to engage in violent jihad, according to the indictment, but it's unclear if he did any actual fighting

Many missing as Haiti boat sinks

Migrants often risk overcrowded boats to escape poverty at home A boat carrying up to 200 Haitian migrants has capsized off the coast of the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos, the US Coast Guard says. A spokesman said 113 people had been rescued from the sea, mostly by the Turks and Caicos authorities, but that at least two bodies had been found. Some of the injured were taken to hospital on the Caribbean islands. Haitians often travel through the islands in overcrowded boats, hoping to find work in the Bahamas or Florida. Lt-Cdr Matthew Moorlag of the US Coast Guard told the BBC his team had rescued 113 people who had been stranded on reefs and was helping local authorities in the search for those still missing. At least two bodies have been pulled from the water - earlier reports suggested that four had been found. "We're hopeful that we will be able to find survivors, however it has been a night and we have not located any additional people," said Lt-Cdr Moorlag. "We do have searches that are on going right now and we will have some aircraft up at first light." US officials earlier said a helicopter was on the scene and a cutter was making its way there. Unsafe crossing The boat had been at sea for three days when it accidentally steered into a reef as it tried to avoid being spotted by a police patrol vessel, one survivor, Alces Julien, told the Associated Press from hospital. Lt-Cdr Morlag said the migrants had been undertaking "a very dangerous journey". "Unfortunately many people lose their lives trying to reach the United States illegally, anywhere of 100 or more per year," he said, adding that the heavy loss of life was mostly due to overcrowding of vessels. "They don't have enough life-saving gear or signalling gear to ensure that they are able to survive if they do have any problems at sea," he said. At least nine people, including a pregnant woman, died in May this year when a boat carrying nearly 30 people, mostly Haitians, sank off the Florida coast. In May 2007, at least 61 Haitian migrants died when a boat carrying 150 people sank off the Turks and Caicos. Some of the survivors said the boat had been rammed by a patrol boat from the Turks and Caicos, then towed out to sea

Colombia 'bombs Farc jungle camp'

Colombian forces have bombed a rebel camp in the jungle, killing at least 16 suspected guerrillas, officials say. The aerial bombing, south of the capital Bogota, was part of a hunt for the military chief of the Farc rebels, Jorge Briceno - known as "Mono Jojoy". He leads the most powerful division of the left-wing group, and is believed to have some 4,000 men under his command. Colombian rebels have been under pressure following a military campaign launched by President Alvaro Uribe. He remains popular after seven years in office, and is seeking a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run for a third consecutive term. Saturday's bombing occurred in Meta province. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) have been fighting the Colombian authorities since the mid-1960s.

Brazil and Paraguay in power deal

The leaders say the pact ushers in a new era of co-operation for their countries Brazil has agreed to triple its payments to Paraguay for energy from a massive hydro-electric dam on their border, ending a long-running dispute. Under the accord, Brazil will pay Paraguay $360m (£220m) a year for energy from the jointly-operated Itaipu plant, one of the biggest in the world. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called it a "historic agreement" after talks in Paraguay. The deal is a political victory for Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo. His left-wing government had campaigned on an election promise to gain more revenue from the plant. Bitter dispute Under the deal, Paraguay has also won the right to sell excess energy directly to the Brazilian market, rather than exclusively through the state-owned power utility Eletrobras. The joint project was begun in the 1980s when both countries were under military rule. Paraguay - one of the poorest countries in South America - only uses a 5% share of the electricity produced at the plant and said it was obliged to sell its surplus to Brazil at unfair prices. The Brazilians argued that they covered most of the cost of constructing the vast project, and that their smaller neighbour had to pay its fair share. The deal came after months of wrangling between the two sides, but could still face criticism from opposition leaders in Brazil, analysts say

Zelaya returns to Honduras border

Mr Zelaya has vowed to keep up pressure on the interim government Exiled Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has returned to the country's border with Nicaragua for the second day running, demanding to be allowed home. He says he will set up camp on the Nicaraguan side to keep up pressure on the interim Honduran government. Speaking into a megaphone, he demanded to be allowed to see his family, from whom he has been separated for a month. On Friday, he made a symbolic crossing into Honduras but withdrew minutes later after being confronted by troops. The US, which opposed Mr Zelaya's dismissal and expulsion last month, has described his current attempts to return home as "reckless". The interim Honduran President, Roberto Micheletti, dismissed the brief return as a publicity stunt, saying Mr Zelaya's action was "ill-conceived and silly". The interior minister said that if the ousted president had dared go any further, he would have been arrested. Zelaya came back to the Honduran border but did not cross it Stalled border During Saturday's return to the frontier, the cowboy-hatted exiled president vowed to wait near the border. Zelaya made a show of entering Honduras: he put one foot in, and left Mario Perdomo Interim Deputy Security Minister Zelaya road show reaches border "Today we are going to set up camps here, with water and food. We are going to stay here this afternoon, tonight and tomorrow morning," he told a crowd of 150 supporters. But he said he would not attempt another crossing for fear of soldiers attacking his supporters, the AP news agency reports. Much of southern Honduras has been paralysed by the crisis, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs says from Honduras. A curfew remains in place day and night and supporters of Mr Zelaya, describing themselves as a resistance movement, have blocked main roads, our correspondent says. Dozens of trucks have been parked for several days in the approaches to the border, unable to make the crossing. And there is no sign as to when, or how, this will all end, our correspondent adds. Symbolic crossing Mr Zelaya's brief crossing into Honduras on Friday lasted less than 30 minutes, with the ousted leader posing next to a sign reading "welcome to Honduras" before walking back to Nicaragua. "I am not afraid but I'm not crazy either," he told Venezuelan-based TV network Telesur. "There could be violence and I don't want to be the cause." Our correspondent said military personnel, apparently unsure how to react, retreated about 20m as Mr Zelaya stepped under a chain marking the border at Las Manos. But Interim Deputy Security Minister Mario Perdomo said authorities did not bother to arrest Mr Zelaya because he barely entered Honduras. "Zelaya made a show of entering Honduras: he put one foot in, and left," Mr Perdomo told Associated Press news agency. "And he did this in a dead zone of the frontier, which we tolerated." People living close to the border were ordered to stay at home to "keep the peace". But thousands of Zelaya supporters ignored the curfew and gathered near the border, prompting police to fire tear gas. At the same time, thousands of supporters of the interim government gathered in the northern Honduras city of San Pedro Sula, holding signs reading "Zelaya can return, but to jail". 'Reckless' US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticised Mr Zelaya's action, calling it "reckless" and "not conducive to the broader effort to restore constitutional order". Anti-Zelaya supporters protested about his planned return Talks in Costa Rica aimed at resolving the political crisis collapsed two weeks ago with no agreement reached, but Mr Zelaya told reporters he was willing to return to negotiations. Mr Zelaya has been in exile since 28 June, when a coup forced him from power. Mr Zelaya had planned to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution. His critics said the move was unconstitutional and aimed to remove the current one-term limit on serving as president and pave the way for his possible re-election. He insists he remains the democratically-elected leader of Honduras and had previously attempted to return home on 5 July. On that occasion, his plane was prevented from landing when the Honduran military blocked the runway

Afghan war is 'worth the effort'

Mr Biden said Guantanamo Bay would be closed by January 2010 US Vice-President Joe Biden has told the BBC that the war in Afghanistan is in the interests of the US and the UK. "It is worth the effort we are making," he said, warning that the terror groups on the border with Pakistan could "wreak havoc" on Europe and the US. The number of foreign troop deaths has jumped recently, sparking questions in the UK over its involvement in the war. Mr Biden suggested more sacrifice would have to be made during what he termed "fighting season". Mr Biden was speaking during a European trip in which he has visited Ukraine and Georgia. 'Courageous warriors' The vice-president insisted that "in terms of national interest of Great Britain, the US and Europe, [the war in Afghanistan] is worth the effort we are making and the sacrifice that is being felt". He added: "And more will come". And he reiterated the Obama administration's rationale for the conflict. "This is the place from which the attacks of 9/11 and all those attacks in Europe from al-Qaeda have flowed - from Afghanistan and Pakistan." We expect before January - well before January - we will have a decision on each and every [Guantanamo] inmate Joe Biden Mr Biden was full of praise for British troops, calling them "among the best trained and bravest warriors in the world". But he was unable to comment on the standard of equipment that British troops had been given. A political row has broken out in the UK over the adequacy of British troops' equipment, after Foreign Office Minister Lord Malloch Brown told a reporter that "we definitely don't have enough helicopters". Lord Malloch Brown later withdrew his remarks. Critics say British troops' lack of helicopters has made them more vulnerable to roadside explosives. Mr Biden said that he was "not in a position to make a judgement" but said he assumed they had all they needed. Timetable Asked about the recent announcement that a report on the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp was being delayed, Mr Biden said the administration had been busy trying to determine what should happen to each of the detainees held there. "We are going through every single detainee's records ... to make a judgement about whether or not they should be tried [or] ... released and if so what country might take them if we can't get them back to the country of origin because they're going to be tortured or mistreated," he said. But he expressed confidence that the camp would still be closed according to the timetable laid out by President Barack Obama in January, and hinted that some of the detainees would be retained at another prison. "We expect before January - well before January - we will have a decision on each and every individual being held."

US to add 22,000 troops to army

Robert Gates: "The army faces a period where its ability to deploy combat brigades at acceptable fill rates is at risk" The US Army will "temporarily" increase its size by 22,000 soldiers for the next three years, Defence Secretary Robert Gates has announced. The additional troops are intended to ease the strain of the US's deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Gates said. The extra manpower will raise the total number of active US soldiers from 547,000 to 569,000. Mr Gates's defence budget, unveiled in April, set aside $11bn (£6.7bn) to fund increases in military personnel. Challenge "The army faces a period where its ability to deploy combat brigades at acceptable fill rates is at risk," Mr Gates said. "This is a temporary challenge which will peak in the coming year and abate over the course of the next three years." Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, has proposed an increase of 30,000. Mr Gates's budget plans have faced fierce opposition from US lawmakers, who oppose his proposal to cease production of the F-22 fighter jet. The defence secretary argued that the F-22, which was designed in the 1980s, was no longer strategically useful

US terror policy report delayed

Guantanamo Bay has drawn widespread international criticism A key report on the detention of terrorism suspects ordered by US President Barack Obama will be delayed by six months, officials have said. Mr Obama commissioned the report as part of his efforts to close the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay by the beginning of next year. Analysts say this delay raises doubts about his ability to meet the deadline. Officials attributed it to the need to ensure the review was comprehensive and to consult thoroughly with Congress. They said another report on the interrogation of suspects and their transfer to other countries would be delayed by two months. However, a task force did send an interim report setting out legal goals for handling terrorism suspects in the future. "Where appropriate, prosecution of those responsible must occur as soon as possible, whether in federal court or before a military commission," the interim report said. It also said justice could not be done unless suspects are proved guilty "in a court of law that affords them a full and fair opportunity to contest the charges against them". 'Get this right' The reports were ordered in the wake of Mr Obama's announcement that he would close the Guantanamo Bay prison by 22 January 2010. Administration officials say that this deadline still holds. Fewer than 20 out of about 245 inmates have been transferred from the detention centre in the six months since Mr Obama signed an order to close it within a year, the Associated Press news agency reports. More than 50 inmates have been cleared for transfer overseas. Mr Obama has said others will be tried by modified military commissions or in US courts. The administration is also open to the possibility of indefinitely holding detainees who cannot be transferred or tried, though this has not yet been applied. In Washington lawmakers from both parties have opposed the idea of transferring detainees to US soil. Congress has asked the administration for a detailed plan on how Guantanamo will be shut before it releases funds for its closure. Administration officials said delays over submitting reports were granted to conduct reviews that were as thorough as possible. One unnamed official was quoted as saying the administration wanted to present a plan with "legal foundation". "We want to get this right and not to have another multiple years of uncertainty around these issues," they said. The Guantanamo Bay detention centre was set up in January 2002 to hold suspects deemed to be "enemy combatants". Human rights groups and some foreign governments have long criticised the prison