WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire — Two University of South Florida (USF) students have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida, for transporting explosives materials without permits, the Department of Justice announced today.
The two-count indictment unsealed today charges Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed, both Egyptian nationals, with
transporting explosives in interstate commerce without permits. The
indictment alleges that the two men, “not being licensees” under federal
law, “did knowingly transport and cause to be transported in interstate
commerce explosive materials” on or about Aug. 4, 2007 in the Middle
District of Florida and elsewhere.
Mohamed was also charged with distributing information about building
and using an explosive device. The indictment alleges that Mohamed taught
and demonstrated the making and use of an explosive and destructive device,
with the intent that such information be used for, and in the furtherance
of, an activity that constitutes a federal crime of violence.
Mohamed, a civil engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at
USF, and Megahed, an engineering student, were stopped for speeding and
subsequently arrested on Aug. 4, 2007 in Goose Creek, S.C. by a South
Carolina Berkeley County Sheriff’s deputy. Both Mohamed and Megahed were
charged with possession of an explosive device, in violation of South
Carolina law. Bond was set for Mohamed in the amount of $500,000 and for
Megahead in the amount of $300,000. Both men are currently being held in
Berkeley County jail.
The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the
defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The charge of distributing information about explosive devices carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and the charge of transporting explosive
materials carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Reginald I. Lloyd, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina,
expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s
Department and the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in South Carolina. “I
am very grateful for the hard work and professionalism of our local law
enforcement partners in this important investigation. The arresting
deputy’s vigilance and the immediate response of our local investigators
and prosecutors are highly commendable.”
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
Middle District of Florida, with the assistance of the National Security
Division at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. The case was
investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces in both Tampa and South Carolina, with the assistance of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
