Vol. 73/No. 35      September 14, 2009

The attempt to deport Megahed followed his acquittal in federal criminal court on charges based on the same “evidence.” Some jurors in the criminal trial were so indignant at the double jeopardy that they joined the campaign for his release.

Megahed, 23, is a permanent resident who has lived in the United States for the last 11 years. He was an engineering student at the University of South Florida and had just filed his application for citizenship when he and a fellow student, Ahmed Mohamed, were stopped for speeding while on their way to Carolina beaches. After pulling over the two young Egyptian men, cops searched the vehicle and found what they claimed were explosive devices and arrested them.

The items, which Megahed said he didn’t know were in the trunk of his brother’s car, turned out to be low-grade propellants commonly used for model rockets.

Cops searched Mohamed’s laptop and a computer used by members of the Megahed household. The FBI “evidence” against Megahed was based on testimony by computer forensic specialists that someone using the Megahed computer had visited Islamist Web sites, searched the Internet for information about Qassam rockets used by Hamas fighters in Palestine, and watched nine video clips on rockets used against U.S. military targets in the Middle East.

On Mohamed’s laptop, FBI agents say, was a video he created for YouTube showing how to convert a remote-controlled toy into a bomb detonator. Mohamed was convicted for supporting “terrorism” in December and given 15 years in prison.

Megahed was found not guilty of illegally transporting explosives and of possession of a destructive device. Three days later, immigration cops arrested Megahed as he was leaving a Wal-Mart with his father. Deportation charges were brought against him on the grounds that he was likely to engage in “terrorist” activity.

The government has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision to not deport Megahed. “Pending appeal Megahed cannot associate with known terrorists,” the Tampa Tribune reported, and must report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Tampa once a month.

Meanwhile, Syed Fahad Hashmi, a U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, remains imprisoned in the United States under restrictive, solitary conditions. Hashmi, 29, was arrested in London in 2006 and extradited to the United States based on statements of Junaid Babar, who faced 70 years on “terrorism” charges and testified against Hashmi as part of a plea-bargain deal.

Babar stayed at Hashmi’s apartment for two weeks in 2004 while Hashmi was attending college in London. Hashmi was charged with conspiracy to provide support to al-Qaeda based on allegations that Babar brought rain gear to Hashmi’s place when he stayed there and later provided the gear to a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda.

More than 500 academics and individuals have signed a petition protesting the harsh conditions of Hashmi’s detention and the undermining of his right to a fair trial.
 
 
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