The AP is reporting what all the media are reporting. If he was valedictorian, he was. I think it adds to the shock factor. (And please, I said "shock", not "surprise")
His family is the same group that the FBI raided in 2003 in Falls Church, VA. I don't have the links, but I remember the raid making breaking news on FR. I'll do some searching to see if I can find some links.