Joshua Boyle, a Canadian citizen, and Caitlin Coleman, an American Citizen, got married in 2011. They spent months treking in Latin America and living among indigenous Guatemalans where the bearded Joshua got the name Santa Claus.” The couple extended their adventure in 2012, going from Russia through several Central Asian countries and then into Afghanistan. Coleman was pregnant, and the couple planned to return from abroad before they gave birth. Sadly, the couple were abducted.
“They really and truly believed that if people were loved and treated with respect that that would be given back to them in kind. So as odd it as it may seem to us that they were there, they truly believed with all their heart that if they treated people properly, they would be treated properly.” Linda Boyle, Boyle’s mother, told the AP
Boyle had previous involvement with the world of extreme Islam, He had been married to the sister of Omar Khadr, a Canadian who’d spent 10 years as a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.
The mom gave birth while in captivity by the Taliban. In Boyle and Coleman appeared in videos pleading for help. U.S. officials don’t believe the three hostages’ lives are in immediate danger.