The FBI tested liquids Tuesday that were found inside a car trunk where authorities say they also discovered multiple pipe bombs.Agents on Monday also searched the Tampa family home of one of the two University of South Florida students who were arrested Saturday in Goose Creek and later charged with carrying explosive devices. Authorities say they don't suspect terrorism was a motive in the case, but they remain tight-lipped about the contents of the trunk and what they could have been used for.
Yousef Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, either 24 or 26 according to arrest records, were charged Monday with possession of an explosive device. They were still in custody Tuesday after a judge set bond at $300,000 for Megahed and $500,000 for Mohamed.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has put a detainer on the men, which allows federal agents to have the final say on whether the men can be released, even if they post bond. Officials said detainers are routine in cases of foreign nationals charged with a felony. "Essentially, it's what we use so we can determine their immigration status," said Richard Rocha, immigration department spokesman.
| Someone from ICE did something smart? |
The leader of a Muslim advocacy group who has been talking with Megahed's family said they are still trying to find out what evidence the government has. The family has not yet been able to contact Megahed. "The family is anxious to find out what is going on," said Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
| Megahed's family allowed the FBI to search their home without a warrant Monday |
The 2000 Toyota Camry the men were in was stopped Saturday on U.S. 176 in Goose Creek for reportedly going more than 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. A Berkeley County sheriff's deputy became suspicious when Mohamed closed a laptop computer as the deputy approached the car. After the men gave permission to search the car, deputies found what they say are pipe bombs and the unidentified liquid inside the trunk.
| The laptop thing is bogus. The officer profiled the two men, that's all, not that I have a problem with that. |
Similar charges have been filed in at least one other local case that did not garner nearly as much attention. In January, Charleston County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with placing three bombs, each a plastic bottle containing hydrochloric acid and foil, near a home on Marshfield Road. The potential penalty for the unsophisticated chemical bomb was the same two-to-15 years in prison that Megahed and Mohamed face if convicted.