A Canadian man held captive by a Taliban-linked militant group in Afghanistan for five years and freed in October 2017 has been arrested on 15 charges, including assault and false imprisonment.
Joshua Boyle was held by police in Ottawa, and faces eight assault charges, two sexual assault charges, two unlawful confinement charges, one count of misleading police, uttering death threats and causing someone to take a noxious substance, reported the CBC.
The offenses are alleged to have occurred between October 14 and December 20, after the family was freed, and the identities of the two alleged victims are subject to a publication ban.
Boyle, his American wife, Caitlan Coleman, and their three children were rescued by Pakistani troops in October. The couple were kidnapped in 2012 by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network while backpacking in Afghanistan. They had three children while in captivity.
After the family's release, Boyle told the media that their captors had raped his wife and killed their fourth child, an infant daughter also born in captivity.
"Mr. Boyle is presumed innocent," his lawyer Eric Granger said in an emailed statement to news outlets.
"He's never been in trouble before. No evidence has been provided yet, which is typical at this early stage. We look forward to receiving the evidence and defending him against these charges."
Boyle has been living in Ottawa since his release. He is scheduled to appear in court on January 3.
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