Federal prosecutors in North Carolina on Monday arrested seven men who had allegedly trained with high-powered weapons as part of a conspiracy to carry out a “violent jihad” overseas, including Israel.
One of the arrested men, North Carolina resident Daniel Patrick Boyd, had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan to train in militant camps. Boyd, 39, was arrested along with his two sons, Dylan Body, 22, and Zakariya Body, 20. The four others are also North Carolina residents.
“We consider this significant. We've been watching them for some time, and we think they were dangerous,” a law enforcement officials said.
The Justice Department said the men intended to provide material support to terrorists and to murder, kidnap and injure people overseas. They also reportedly offered weapons training and assistance in overseas travel and contacts for others seeking to join them.
While little has been released on the specifics of the allegations, the men had allegedly planned “to meet up” in Israel. “These arrests today show there are people living among us, in our communities in North Carolina and around the U.S., that are honing their skills to carry out acts of murder and mayhem,” Owen D. Harris, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte, North Carolina division said.
If convicted, the suspects could face life in prison.
