Posted on 07/14/2008 8:55:52 AM PDT by I still care
TAMPA - A former University of South Florida student will be sentenced today for holding a rifle at a shooting range for less than three minutes.
Karim Moussaoui was convicted in April of a federal weapons charge of possessing a firearm in violation of his student visa.
The Moroccan native and engineering student had gone to the Shoot Straight Tampa shooting range with a friend, Youssef Megahed, last summer and posed for pictures holding a .22-caliber rifle Megahed had rented.
Because Megahed is a legal, permanent resident of the United States, he was allowed to posses and rent the weapon. Moussaoui's status was different; he was what is legally referred to as a nonimmigrant alien, making his possession of a weapon illegal.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.tbo.com ...
This guy, Megahed, who was convicted of charges related to terrorism, was taking other Muslim students shooting at a rifle range. I think there is much more here than is being reported.
Well, there is no issue here because everyone knows that terrorists, just like criminals, would only use weapons they are legally allowed to possess/own in the United States.
</sarcasm>
Hate to say this, but a LOT of other people have broken this law (which I did not know about either). I used to work for an international company that frequently had people from other parts of the world come in for a week or two at a time.
The company offered shooting at a local range as one type of recreation (there were many other types). MANY people from all over the world couldn’t wait to try shooting out, since it was not allowed at home. I believe EVERY Japanese that ever came here went to the range. Most of them wanted pictures of them holding a rifle or pistol to take back home with them.
This law is crap. How can you take friends from overseas to the range to shoot then? Some ranges advertise to international visitors to get them in and rent automatics. Are they now guilty of aiding this?
What BS.
There is a thing called “prosecutorial discretion” -— they generally don’t take B.S. cases.
Methinks this guy was bad news and this is what they had.
Why do we even allow these people to come here?
USF is a hot bed of Islamic activists from all over the world.
The college is supported in part by taxpayers because iIt costs them more to operate than the amount covered by tuition and endowments.
So they receive millions in money siezed from taxpayers.
This year, as every other year, they lobby the state legislature intensly seeking a bigger handout.
In return the college recruits and coddles a sizable contingent of American hating, anti Semitic muslims who get a subsidized college education, a chance to poison other minds, and the freedom to undermine America from within.
USF is the same institution that provided employment and cover for Sami Al-Arian and came to his defense when he was exposed as an active supporter of Palestinian terrorists.
Taxpayer supported institutions should focus on educating American citizens. Perhaps they would be able to do a better job and eliminate a lot of the problems brought here by people like Megahed and Al Arian.
Methinks this guy was bad news and this is what they had.
I agree. They probably do not have enough to tie this guy to any particular terrorist act or group, or they have evidence that they can't make public because it would screw up other investigations. If this really was just a case of some innocent foreign student going to jail for 3 years because he shot a rifle at a range, it would be an injustice. But given his connections here, I don't think that is the case.
I have to believe that they have strong evidence that this guy is a terrorist also, but can’t convict him and are just following up on this B.S. charge to get him on something. Someone down there in Tampa, please tell me my suspicions have merit and that is what this is all about. Please don’t tell me they actually prosecute people for this B.S. offence???
It is trumped up, "Gotcha!" offenses like this which cause many to lose respect for the Rule of Law and for those whose duty is to enforce those laws. If we pervert the system now against the "right" people for the sake of expediency, we may live to see the weight of such unbridled tyranny turned against us. This is wrong.
“Please don’t tell me they actually prosecute people for this B.S. offence???’
Lived in Tampa for over 10 years. First time I’ve heard of it. Another thought is they have other evidence but don’t want to declassify it to get a conviction of this turd.
Gee!
Was he really allowed to be a member of a posse with a rented weapon?
A one way bus ticket for the guy, floating or otherwise.
I understand that but I think that idiots like the Brady Bunch could choose to stir-up trouble if they wanted to using this as a tool.
I like how the article starts out making it look like the big mean government is steamrolling this kid for taking a couple shots with the 10/22 his friend rented. You gotta get way down to the bottom before you find out that he and his buddies are terrorists with bomb-making materials and videos and that the weapons charge is on top of a charge for transporting explosives.
I do have to ask, though: is it really illegal for a nonresident to hold or fire a weapon? I know when I have foreign visitors they’re generally interested in going to the range because most of my meager collection would be illegal in most places in the world, and I don’t even have NFA stuff. And there are ranges in Vegas and Hawaii that cater almost exclusively to Japanese tourists, because the Japanese basically can’t possess or shoot any guns under any circumstances in their home country. I can’t imagine all of this is illegal for visitors with no criminal record.
Did you read the article?
>>Investigators found snapshots of Moussaoui holding the firearm when they confiscated Megahed’s computer during a traffic stop in South Carolina on Aug. 4.
Deputies had pulled over Megahed and another former USF student, Ahmed Mohamed, after becoming suspicious of their car and, according to authorities, found explosive materials in the trunk. Both were charged with transporting explosives.<<
From what I understand, this guy Megahed is a bad guy. He is the one that was caught in SC outside a military base with explosives.
It’s hard to piece the story together, because the press hasn’t been covering it. But there have been reports that they have been making videos for terrorists, how to build explosives and remote control devices, etc. The newspapers down here never met a Muslim student they didn’t like, so you have to read between the lines.
I’ll try a post some articles on this guy, and it will make you see red how the press is not covering these things.
OK - Here are a few:
Ahmed Mohamed, Former USF Student Admits To Supporting Terrorists
Goose Creek Arrests Result In Felony Charges (Just carrying pipe bombs in their trunk)
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2007/08/07/goose-creek-arrests-result-in-felony-chharges/
Goose Creek Terror Incident Update - USF Student Pleads Not Guilty to Bomb Charge (seems he was making videos instructing terrorists how to make bombs)
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2007/10/24/goose-creek-terror-incident-update-usf-student-pleads-not-guilty-to-bomb-charge/
Car’s explosive contents revealed at hearing for USF students
http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2007/09/usf-student-won.html
I also found these details on the video Megahed made:
A court filing released earlier this week provided new details about the video. It is a key piece of evidence in the case against University of South Florida student Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, who faces federal explosives charges after his arrest in August.
Mohamed and fellow USF student Youssef Samir Megahed were pulled over by police for a traffic stop in Goose Creek, S.C., about 15 miles northwest of Charleston and NEAR A NAVY WEAPONS STATION. (emphasis mine). Officers found explosives in their car and a laptop belonging to Mohamed. It contained the video he made that demonstrates how to convert a remote-control toy car into a detonator for bombs, according to the FBI.
The men are in jail pending trial. They have pleaded not guilty.
Also on Mohamed’s laptop — in a folder labeled “Bomb Shock” — were files about ingredients for explosive, according to the filing by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer in Tampa.
In addition, the laptop was used to upload the video onto YouTube, the filing said, and it contained a record of an e-mail sent to YouTube in July asking why the submitted video had not been posted on the Web site.
Mohamed said he made the video “to assist those persons in Arabic countries to defend themselves against the infidels invading their countries,” the FBI said. He said “he considered American troops, and those military forces fighting with the American military, to be invaders of Arab countries.”
So this guy “who merely held a gun for less than three minutes”, Moussaoui, is brought to a shooting range to shoot by this guy Megahed. And the press writes an article to show how persecuted he is.
I would be going through the guys old traffic tickets to see if he could be deported on that. Anyone who even passed this guy Megahed in the hall and smiled at him would be suspect to me.
“Please don’t tell me they actually prosecute people for this B.S. offence???”
Have you heard about the guy who is now doing time because the semi-automatic rifle he was shooting at the range malfunctioned and fired full auto bursts? He was charged with possessing a machine gun!
I had it happen to me with an old worn out semi auto .22 rifle. The bolt did not properly catch on the sear because it was worn. Certainly NOT a machine gun.
Sometimes overzealous cops with an agenda can be pretty stupid.
TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 44 > § 922
(g)It shall be unlawful for any person—
...
(5) who, being an alien— (A) is illegally or unlawfully in the United States; or (B) except as provided in subsection (y)(2), has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa (as that term is defined in section 101(a)(26) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 (a)(26)));
...
to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition; or to receive any firearm or ammunition which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.
Apparently there is an exception for loaned weapons if one has a hunting license. (See ATF FAQ)
The law was changed October 21, 1998, when the Gun Control Act was amended to make nonimmigrant aliens a new category of prohibited persons.
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