Oh boy, here we go — terrorists in NC! TV news should have a field day. Considering the feds’ past record with supposed “terrorist cells” in America, forgive my skepticism. OK, maybe the feds know what they’re doing this time, and these 7 guys are really who the government says they are. Maybe a drywall installer in Willow Spring, N.C., did lead a group that was dedicated to waging jihad, or at least to “supporting” it, in the Middle East (not in the U.S., according to the indictment). The next few days may bring enough details out into the open to clear things up. But after reading the indictment, my feeling is that this thing looks iffy and, at the very least, very odd.

The indictment says that Daniel Boyd, the drywall guy who allegedly led the group, fought in Afghanistan between 1989 and 1992 against the Soviet occupation of that country. But the Soviets had entirely withdrawn from Afghanistan by February 1989, so that story is likely not true. The CIA, however, ran operations there until 1992, so maybe Boyd was with them — which opens the possibility that Boyd’s “conspiracy” is another example of “blowback.”

The Associated Press reports that Boyd and his brother were convicted of bank robbery in Pakistan in 1991, while carrrying I.D. that indicated they belonged to the Afghan guerilla group Hezb-I-Islam. Pakistan's supreme court overturned their convictions. A quick Google search revealed the probable reason for the court’s ruling, as Pakistani intelligence services at the time supported Hezb-I-Islam’s efforts to dislodge the new post-Soviet government in Afghanistan.

It's also striking that this is the entire list of evidence so far, as outlined in the indictment: Fund-raising for and travel to Israel and Pakistan; a collection of military-style weapons; and their training in military tactics on private land in Caswell County. Rest assured that this is one weird story we’ll be tracking and reporting on in the future.

• Terrorist den? Daniel Boyd's house in Willow Creek, NC