The puzzling case of a former Taliban hostage charged with sex assault
Joshua Boyle
Canadian Joshua Boyle and his American-born wife Caitlan Coleman  got the red carpet treatment when  they  were flown home after Pakistani security forces rescued them from the clutches of the Taliban in October.
âToday was a wonderful experience for my family  and Maâidah Grace Makepeace seemed truly enamored â wrote  Boyle  in a caption under a family photo in which Trudeau holds his infant daughter on his lap.
But less than two weeks after that meeting   Boyle  is now back in captivity â this time sporting a bright orange T-shirt as  he  addressed a Canadian courtroom from an Ottawa-area detention center  where  he  has been held since  his  Jan. 1 arrest.
âThere are a lot of holes in  his  story â said Phil Gurski  an Ottawa-based security consultant who used to work for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service  the countryâs national intelligence agency. âWhy were they in Afghanistan in the first place? There are legitimate questions that need to be answered.â
In October 2012  Boyle and  his  heavily pregnant wife embarked on a backpacking trip through Ghazni province  one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan and the stronghold of the Haqqani network  a radical Jihadist group tied to both al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Boyleâs own father-in-law  Jim Coleman  has also had serious questions about  Boyle .
But  Boyle  was obsessed â fascinated with radical Islam and gripped by a keen sense of adventure.
Boyle  who grew up in a devout Christian family  became interested in radical Islam while still a student at the University of Waterloo. He claims to have edited every Wikipedia entry on radical Islam. Most of his Wikipedia efforts were focused on Omar Khadr  a Canadian and the youngest detainee at Guantanamo. In 2008   Boyle  offered to work as a spokesman for the Khadr family  spending much of his time trying to free Omar from detention.
Before marrying Coleman in 2011   Boyle  was married to Omarâs outspoken sister  Zaynab Khadr. Their father  Ahmed Said Khadr  was one of Osama Bin Ladenâs most trusted lieutenants. Omar was released in 2012 after a decade at Guantanamo and awarded millions by the Canadian government last year after a 2010 Canadian Supreme Court ruling said the countryâs intelligence officials obtained evidence from him under torture.
 Boyle  met Coleman  a home-schooled Catholic girl from Stewartstown  Penn.  on a Star Wars chat group when they were still in their twenties. They had a brief romantic relationship before Boyleâs marriage to Zaynab and married soon after Boyleâs divorce  according to published reports.
âThey saw themselves as helpers of the poor all over the world â said Denise Bukowski  a Toronto-based literary agent who told The Post she had been in talks with  Boyle  to represent  him  in a book and film deal before  he  was arrested earlier this month.
â He  was very keen on making a film about  his  life â she said  adding that she has corresponded with  Boyle  for weeks to discuss  his  future prospects. âBut now  after the charges  Iâm not sure whatâs going to happen.â
But  Boyle  claims that members of the group raped  his  wife in retaliation for  his  refusal to join them.  He  also said that  he  helped deliver  his  children by flashlight and in secret while they were in captivity.
There is no way to corroborate Boyleâs stories.  He  speaks authoritatively and can be controlling. In an interview with Macleanâs magazine  a Canadian weekly  a reporter noted that he refused to leave the room while his wife was speaking with a reporter. âCheck with me before you say any of that on the recording â Macleans reported that  Boyle  told her.
After videos emerged of the family in captivity in 2013 and in 2016  the Coleman family worked quietly through diplomatic and military channels to secure their daughterâs freedom. They seemed amazed that after the family was rescued   Boyle  refused to allow American doctors to examine his children or board an American military airplane  demanding to be flown to Canada on a commercial airline instead.
At some point   Boyle  appears to have converted to Islam  although  he  refuses to say for sure.  He  has referred to  himself  and  his  wife  who since being released from their captivity has continued to wear a hijab  as âpilgrimsâ to Afghanistan who were only ever interested in helping the poor.
[TGT] got the red carpet treatment when   [TGT]   were flown home after Pakistani security forces rescued them from the clutches of the Taliban in October.
âToday was a wonderful experience for my family  and Maâidah Grace Makepeace seemed truly enamored â wrote  Boyle  in a caption under a family photo in which Trudeau holds his infant daughter on his lap.
But less than two weeks after that meeting   Boyle  is now back in captivity â this time sporting a bright orange T-shirt as  he  addressed a Canadian courtroom from an Ottawa-area detention center  where  he  has been held since  his  Jan. 1 arrest.
âThere are a lot of holes in  his  story â said Phil Gurski  an Ottawa-based security consultant who used to work for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service  the countryâs national intelligence agency. âWhy were they in Afghanistan in the first place? There are legitimate questions that need to be answered.â
In October 2012  Boyle and  his  heavily pregnant wife embarked on a backpacking trip through Ghazni province  one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan and the stronghold of the Haqqani network  a radical Jihadist group tied to both al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Boyleâs own father-in-law  Jim Coleman  has also had serious questions about  [TGT]  .
But   [TGT] was obsessed â fascinated with radical Islam and gripped by a keen sense of adventure.
Boyle  who grew up in a devout Christian family  became interested in radical Islam while still a student at the University of Waterloo. He claims to have edited every Wikipedia entry on radical Islam. Most of his Wikipedia efforts were focused on Omar Khadr  a Canadian and the youngest detainee at Guantanamo. In 2008    [TGT] offered to work as a spokesman for the Khadr family  spending much of his time trying to free Omar from detention.
Before marrying Coleman in 2011    [TGT] was married to Omarâs outspoken sister  Zaynab Khadr. Their father  Ahmed Said Khadr  was one of Osama Bin Ladenâs most trusted lieutenants. Omar was released in 2012 after a decade at Guantanamo and awarded millions by the Canadian government last year after a 2010 Canadian Supreme Court ruling said the countryâs intelligence officials obtained evidence from him under torture.
  [TGT] met Coleman  a home-schooled Catholic girl from Stewartstown  Penn.  on a Star Wars chat group when they were still in their twenties. They had a brief romantic relationship before Boyleâs marriage to Zaynab and married soon after Boyleâs divorce  according to published reports.
âThey saw themselves as helpers of the poor all over the world â said Denise Bukowski  a Toronto-based literary agent who told The Post she had been in talks with  Boyle  to represent  him  in a book and film deal before  he  was arrested earlier this month.
â He  was very keen on making a film about  his  life â she said  adding that she has corresponded with  Boyle  for weeks to discuss  his  future prospects. âBut now  after the charges  Iâm not sure whatâs going to happen.â
But  Boyle  claims that members of the group raped  his  wife in retaliation for  his  refusal to join them.  He  also said that  he  helped deliver  his  children by flashlight and in secret while they were in captivity.
There is no way to corroborate Boyleâs stories.  He  speaks authoritatively and can be controlling. In an interview with Macleanâs magazine  a Canadian weekly  a reporter noted that he refused to leave the room while his wife was speaking with a reporter. âCheck with me before you say any of that on the recording â Macleans reported that  Boyle  told her.
After videos emerged of the family in captivity in 2013 and in 2016  the Coleman family worked quietly through diplomatic and military channels to secure their daughterâs freedom. They seemed amazed that after the family was rescued   Boyle  refused to allow American doctors to examine his children or board an American military airplane  demanding to be flown to Canada on a commercial airline instead.
At some point   Boyle  appears to have converted to Islam  although  he  refuses to say for sure.  He  has referred to  himself  and  his  wife  who since being released from their captivity has continued to wear a hijab  as âpilgrimsâ to Afghanistan who were only ever interested in helping the poor.