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Whatever the alleged terrorists arrested last week were up to, it wasn't meant to take place in North Carolina or anywhere else on American soil.

Federal indictments say the men conspired to "advance violent jihad, including supporting and participating in terrorist activities in specific locations outside the United States. ..."

That's one bit of good news, although it's frightening enough if they were at work building a network in North Carolina, stockpiling weapons and training for action. They allegedly had plenty of firepower. Defendant Daniel Patrick Boyd purchased a dozen or more firearms, the indictment states, including military-style assault rifles. Some of the weapons allegedly were used for training exercises in Caswell County this summer.

The other good news is that members of this group apparently failed to achieve their goals, despite making trips to Israel, Gaza, Jordan, Pakistan and Kosovo. So, were they really committed to violent objectives or just playing terrorist? What were their actual capabilities?

Those aren't the only unanswered questions. Though the Justice Department announced that seven individuals were charged, and the indictment names seven men, there was an eighth defendant who wasn't named and who apparently is being sought in Pakistan.

Others 'known and unknown'

The indictment also states that defendants conspired with one another and with "others known and unknown to the grand jury." Who are those others? If they are known, why weren't they charged? Do those who remain unknown present a potential danger?

U.S. Attorney George E.B. Holding said the charges "hammer home the point that ... terrorists and their supporters are relentless and constant in their efforts to hurt and kill innocent people across the globe." But exactly what "innocent people" did these alleged terrorists intend to kill? How far, if at all, did their efforts advance beyond the point of conspiracy? Did they have affiliations with terrorist organizations in other countries?

Federal authorities clearly have been aware of this group's activities for years. Boyd is charged with lying to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FBI agents in July and August of 2007 about a trip to Israel, where he was detained by Israeli authorities and then expelled. Israel must have informed U.S. intelligence agencies, leading the FBI to question Boyd about his plans to meet up with alleged co-conspirators in Israel. Yet, Boyd was not charged with any illegal activities at that time. Several alleged co-conspirators, who also traveled to Israel, aren't charged with lying to federal authorities. Does that mean they provided truthful information when interviewed, or were they never questioned? What did the group plan to do in Israel?

The 'Sword of God'

Boyd, 39, also known as "Saifullah," or "Sword of God," according to the indictment, seems to have developed jihadist ideas at a young age. A convert to Islam, he attended "terrorist training camps" in Pakistan and Afghanistan between 1989 and 1992 and fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, the indictment says. Later, he settled into what appeared to be a normal life in North Carolina. Neighbors in Johnston County liked him and his family, never found their behavior threatening and were shocked by his arrest. His wife, speaking to reporters, said Boyd and others were merely making "pilgrimages" to Muslim holy places. The weapons they accumulated were for hunting, she said.

The charges against Boyd, if true, indicate he led another, more shadowy existence, drawing two sons and several other young men into a desire to participate in violent extremism. What fed and reinforced these ideas? Where would they have led? Did they find sympathizers within the state's Muslim community, or were they outcasts? Is there conclusive evidence that these men are guilty?

Answers will emerge

The FBI has confirmed that young men from Somali-American communities in Minnesota have been recruited to travel to Somalia and fight with extremist groups there. It's not impossible to believe misguided young men in North Carolina could be lured onto a similar path by a persuasive fanatic.

Fortunately, these defendants will face criminal charges in federal court, as opposed to secret proceedings before military tribunals. That means answers will emerge at trial. The public deserves to learn much more about these alleged North Carolina jihadists.