Megahed and his friend Ahmed Mohamed had been stopped for a traffic violation in South Carolina on August 4, 2007, and police found what appeared to be pipe bombs in the trunk of the car they were driving. Mohamed later pleaded guilty to helping terrorists by making a video about bomb-making, and is currently serving 15 years in a federal prison. Megahed, on the other hand, never faced explicit terrorism charges and claimed to have no prior knowledge of the presence of the explosives. Megahed has been a lawful permanent resident for the past 12 years and was one course short of earning a degree at Florida State. Megahed’s lawyer, Adam Allen, says that his client is being targeted on trumped up immigration charges despite his acquittal.

 

Federal prosecutors maintain that the explosive devices, which the defense said were to be used to propel model rockets and the FBI called “low explosives,” could be developed into more dangerous explosives and point to the fact that Megahed and Mohamed were stopped roughly seven miles from the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, where terror-related detainees were being kept. However, many in the Muslim and immigrants rights communities see this second arrest as a last-ditch attempt to either lock up or deport Megahed after the embarrassment of losing the initial explosives case.

-Lucy Benz-Rogers, David Wallechinsky

 

Megahed Arrested on Immigration Charges (by Howard Altman and Tom Brennan, Tampa Tribune)

Muslim Groups Calls for Release of Egyptian Student (Associated Press)