Posted on 08/12/2007 5:50:35 AM PDT by devane617
TAMPA - The FBI searched a Temple Terrace home Saturday morning in connection with the two University of South Florida students jailed in South Carolina on charges of possessing a pipe bomb.
Authorities had a search warrant for 12402 Pampas Place, FBI special agent Dave Couvertier said. He would not say what authorities were looking for, what was removed or how the house is connected to the two students.
The house is owned by Noor and Ana Salhab, according to the Hillsborough County property appraiser's Web site.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said late Saturday he and the family of one of the students, Youssef Megahed, were unaware of the search warrant.
Bedier spoke to Noor Salhab, who is a Realtor and owns the home. Salhab told Bedier the Pampas Place home has been for sale for a year. Bedier said Salhab said the house is rented to college students until it's sold.
A friend of the other jailed student is a tenant of the house, Salhab told Bedier. Ahmed Mohamed was looking to move and was invited by the friend to move in. Salhab told Bedier he never met Mohamed.
Mohamed had moved some of his belongings to the house but never fully moved in or paid anything, Salhab told Bedier. Salhab told Bedier he didn't know Mohamed had moved things in until the search warrant by the FBI.
Meanwhile, Megahed's family visited him Friday at Berkeley County Detention Center in Moncks Corner, S.C.
He remains calm, healthy and is not depressed, his sister, Mariam Megahed, said Saturday at a news conference in Tampa.
Mariam Megahed said her 21-year-old brother assured his family he "did not have bad intentions and that once the true nature of the evidence is displayed, he will be exonerated."
Megahed and Mohamed, 24, both students at the University of South Florida, were charged Monday with possession of an incendiary or explosive device. Mohamed said in court they were carrying fireworks.
South Carolina authorities said the men had a pipe bomb and related paraphernalia in their car when they were pulled over for speeding on Aug. 4.
The Megaheds said in a statement that they have faith in the justice system and continue to cooperate with law enforcement. The family is originally from Egypt, but they said they love the United States and consider it home.
Bedier said earlier Saturday that speculation of what the men were doing will end after authorities release the evidence.
"Whatever they were up to, they have to be held accountable," Bedier said at the news conference. "But not based on suspicion; it has to be based on evidence."
"...Mariam Megahed said her 21-year-old brother assured his family he "did not have bad intentions and that once the true nature of the evidence is displayed, he will be exonerated."
Megahed and Mohamed, 24, both students at the University of South Florida, were charged Monday with possession of an incendiary or explosive device. Mohamed said in court they were carrying fireworks..."
There, that is likely much closer to the truth (one was only taking 3 credits afaik).
Tampa appeared to be full of these guys...When I lived there it seemed a story like this was no big deal...
As this story stands it is the liberal media acting like a wholly owned subsidiary of Hammas doing public relations story.
Exactly. You know, one can't help but wonder just how vulnerable our nations college campuses are. They are the very cornerstone of "liberalism gone mad", and a great place to hide for these muslim extremist murdering thugs.
They're networked nationwide as well.
Yeah, the Youssef kid was signed up for 3 credit hours in the fall. Three credit hours a term does not qualify, IMHO, as the definition of a student.
I believe the GaTech student arrested on terrorism charges is still in custody, although I can’t find any updates since April, 2006. Anybody know what happened to him?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192541,00.html
Try Houston. In the nineteen seventies there was one mosque. Now there are seventy or more.
I suppose one could say a ‘mecca’ to spread hate and violence against innocent Americans. But as all of US have been told in the past, “it’s a religion of peace”. Not that I believe the quote, only saying what has been said. There is another quote I like, “it’s a religion of pieces”. The afore quote is accurate.
They searched their home the next day. This evidently was a place where one of the students had moved some of his stuff into, he wasn’t actually living there.
Plus, they had a gas can in the trunk.
Picadilly-Glasgow all over.
My belief is the people, of the world (the innocent), are completely uninformed, or the majority of people, of the world are blind, deaf, and dumb, along the level of see no, hear no, and speak of no evil.
Until a majority of the world's people see, hear, and speak of this evil, No War Can Be Won against this cult! mho
To islam there is no innocent life, only infidels, if one doesn’t bow down and worship the religion of pieces’ devil, islam will come calling to murder the innocent.
I agree with you, their mullahs are the worst of the worst.
bttt
It’s entirely possible these guys were not up to no good at all. The problem is that it takes the same effort to prove they are not a threat as it does to prove they are a threat.
This is one of those situations where it’s important to avoid not only bad deeds but even the slightest appearance of a desire to do bad deeds. My parents never tired of telling me how important it was to avoid looking like I had malice in my actions.
I have loved flying since I was a two-year-old and my favorite uncle used to take me to a nearby airport to see the planes. I love to photograph airplanes, especially big ones, but I have had to curtail my photography at the approach and departure ends of the runways at Tampa International Airport the last few years. Seeing anyone there with anything that even remotely resembles a good camera/lens combo results in call to the authorities. I was amazed at how quickly someone showed up one day to ask what I was doing taking pictures of arriving aircraft. After that I decided it was better to avoid the area.
If the courts and a jury of twelve allow these two to walk away, I will be forced to eat my tinfoil hat.....
Perhaps I best find some salt!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.