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Brothers sentenced to prison for roles in NC terror ring

Two North Carolina men were sentenced to prison Tuesday for their roles in a home-grown terror cell that prosecutors say plotted attacks under their father's leadership.

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NEW BERN, N.C. — Two North Carolina men were sentenced to prison Tuesday for their roles in a home-grown terror cell that prosecutors say plotted attacks under their father's leadership. 

Dylan "Mohammed" Boyd, 25, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, while Zakariya "Zak" Boyd, 22, was sentenced to nine years. They both pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

In addition to their prison time, Zak Boyd was fined $3,000, and Dylan Boyd was fined $1,000. Both will get credit for the more than two years they have spent in jail since their arrests.

Defense attorneys blame their involvement in terrorist activities on their father, Daniel Patrick Boyd, and his radical Muslim views. Daniel Boyd pleaded guilty in February to two counts of conspiracy and is still awaiting sentencing.

The brothers tearfully apologized for their actions, causing family members in the New Bern federal courthouse to weep.

"I look forward to being able to right the wrongs of my past actions," Zak Boyd said.

"My future will be one of productivity, positivity and amends," Dylan Boyd said.

They faced up to 15 years in prison, but prosecutors agreed to more lenient sentences. They noted that Zak Boyd had been very cooperative in the federal investigation of the terror cell, including convincing his brother to plead guilty, and that Dylan Boyd was less involved in the group's activities than others and actually challenged his father's beliefs on occasion.

Prosecutors, defense attorneys and family members all declined to comment after the court hearing.

The Boyds and four other Triangle men were arrested in July 2009 on charges that they plotted terrorist actions against overseas targets. A federal indictment said they raised money, stockpiled weapons and trained in preparation for jihadist attacks.

Three of the others – Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 23, Ziyad Yaghi, 22, and Hysen Sherifi, 26 – were convicted in October and are awaiting sentencing. The seventh defendant, Anes Subasic, has yet to be tried.

Authorities believe another man charged in the case, Jude Kenan Mohammad, 22, is in Pakistan. A ninth member of the group, Bajram Asllani, 30, was arrested in Kosovo last year, but the U.S. doesn't have an extradition treaty with that country.

 

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