Egyptian student cleared in Florida explosives trial
TAMPA, Fla., April 3 (Reuters) - A U.S. jury acquitted an Egyptian student on Friday of two explosives charges that could have sent him to prison for up to 20 years in a case that resulted in a terrorism conviction against another student.
Youssef Megahed, 23, was arrested in August 2007 with fellow Egyptian Ahmed Mohamed when their car was stopped for speeding in South Carolina.
Police found plastic pipes filled with potassium nitrate and syrup in the trunk. They also found a video made by Mohamed and posted on YouTube which showed how to use a remote control toy to set off explosives.
The federal jury acquitted Megahed after four days of deliberations following a two-week trial in Tampa.
He had been charged with transporting explosives across state lines and possessing an explosive device. Each count carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Megahed said he did not know the explosives were in the trunk.
Mohamed received a maximum 15-year prison sentence last year after pleading guilty to one count of providing material support to terrorists in a deal with federal prosecutors who agreed to drop six other charges against him.
Both men were students at the University of South Florida, but were suspended after their arrests.
Megahed and his family are legal U.S. residents and live in Tampa. (Reporting by Robert Green, editing by Jim Loney)
Youssef Megahed, 23, was arrested in August 2007 with fellow Egyptian Ahmed Mohamed when their car was stopped for speeding in South Carolina.
Police found plastic pipes filled with potassium nitrate and syrup in the trunk. They also found a video made by Mohamed and posted on YouTube which showed how to use a remote control toy to set off explosives.
The federal jury acquitted Megahed after four days of deliberations following a two-week trial in Tampa.
He had been charged with transporting explosives across state lines and possessing an explosive device. Each count carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Megahed said he did not know the explosives were in the trunk.
Mohamed received a maximum 15-year prison sentence last year after pleading guilty to one count of providing material support to terrorists in a deal with federal prosecutors who agreed to drop six other charges against him.
Both men were students at the University of South Florida, but were suspended after their arrests.
Megahed and his family are legal U.S. residents and live in Tampa. (Reporting by Robert Green, editing by Jim Loney)
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