Seven held on terror charges in US

The defendants, who include a father and his two sons, were formally indicted by a grand jury on last Wednesday and were arrested by the federal police on Monday morning, according to a statement from the department. The men — aged between 20 and 39 and include six US citizens and one legal resident —were brought before a federal judge in Raleigh, North Carolina, where they live, immediately after the arrest.

They face a complex set of charges, with all being accused of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad. They face life sentences if convicted. “These charges hammer home the point that terrorists and their supporters are not confined to the remote regions of some far away land but can grow and fester right here at home,” said US attorney George Holding. 

The oldest member of the group, Daniel Boyd, is accused of travelling to Afghanistan and Pakistan between 1989 and 1992 for “military-style training in terrorist training camps for the purpose of engaging in violent ‘jihad’.” Between 2006 and July 2009, prosecutors allege, Boyd and the other defendants tried to raise funds for terror attacks and underwent assault weapons training.