According to a report in the News & Observer, one of the seven alleged jihadists arrested yesterday in Raleigh was Ziyad Yaghi (center), a 21-year-old Cary High School graduate. Yagni was arrested with 6 other men in what Federal officials say was a plot to wage “violent jihad” outside the United States.

The men, led by Daniel Boyd, 39, of Willow Springs,  had stockpiled and trained with military-style weapons at a rural site in Caswell County near the Virginia border. Boyd was a veteran of the Afghan mujahadeen, the guerilla force that fought the Soviet Union in the 1980’s.

The News & Observer, reported this morning: “Their activities, tracked by FBI agents over three years and detailed in federal indictments released Monday, tell of an elaborate scheme hatched in a quiet Johnston County neighborhood and nondescript apartment complexes across Raleigh and Cary.”

According to Mr. Yagni’s Facebook profile, his interests include “fighting, boxing, wrestling, thai boxing, grappling, hustling and reading.” His favorite quotes include “”If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary.” Yagni’s Facebook info lists his high school as Athens Drive, not Cary High.

In this photo, Mr. Yagni is on the left. Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, also arrested yesterday, is in the center. Photo via Facebook.

More details on this story:

The New York Times: Americans Arrested for Plotting ‘Violent Jihad’ Abroad

The Washington Post: 7 Face Terrorism Charges in N.C.