After the visit, family waits

Relatives decide not to post bail for a jailed student because he couldn't leave S. Carolina.

By BEN MONTGOMERY, Times Staff Writer
Published August 12, 2007

TAMPA - What was in the trunk?

That's the mystery surrounding the arrests of two University of South Florida students who stand accused of carrying explosives in a Toyota Camry near a naval base in South Carolina a week ago.

The father of one of the arrested men said he still doesn't know the answer after meeting for 45 minutes with his son on Friday.

Samir Megahed, 60, of Tampa, spoke publicly for the first time since visiting his son, Youssef Megahed, in a small room in a Berkeley County, S.C., detention center. The meeting was arranged through the Tampa FBI, he said.

Their conversation was recorded and videotaped. Samir Megahed said attorneys advised the men not to talk about particulars of the case.

He said his son often kept in the trunk a gas canister, for refueling, along with charcoal, a small barbecue grill and lighter fluid, for cookouts. He liked to grill chicken and beef with friends, the father said.

Lately, Youssef has been working on a broken-down Lexus, so he likely kept in the trunk tools and chemicals to clean the tools, because the family has no garage, Samir Megahed said. Youssef also enjoyed scuba diving and may have had gear in the car, he said.

Youssef Megahed and Ahmed A. Mohamed, who jail records show is either 24 or 26, were arrested in Goose Creek, S.C., a rural area near a naval base, on charges of possession of an explosive device, jail records show.

A deputy clocked Youssef driving 60 in a 45 mph zone.

The deputy searched the car with the occupants' permission and found what he believed was a pipe bomb in the trunk, according to an arrest affidavit. Bomb technicians confirmed his suspicions, jail records show. But test results on the material in the trunk have not been released.

Whatever was inside apparently still has the attention of authorities. The FBI on Saturday raided a home in Temple Terrace in connection with the students' arrests, said FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier.

Agents executed a search warrant about 8 a.m. at 12402 Pampas Place and stayed several hours, he said. The home is owned by Noor Salhab, property records show.

A neighbor said Thursday night that Noor Salhab and his wife are living in a rented home nearby on Soaring Avenue.

Records show the owner of that house on Soaring Avenue is Sameeh Hammoudeh, a co-defendant in the trial of Sami Al-Arian. Al-Arian was a USF professor who was tried for funding terrorists organizations. He was acquitted but pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Slahab's son, Ghassan Salhab, is living at the Pampas Place house with roommates. One of the roommates is Ahmad Ishtay. Back in July, Tampa police cited Ishtay and Mohamed for shooting squirrels in a park.

A judge set bail for Mohamed, a graduate student from Egypt, at $500,000. Bail for Megahed, an undergraduate whose family lives in Tampa, was set at $300,000.

The family said they had no plans to pay bail, because Megahed would have to remain in South Carolina as a condition of release. They said he was "calm, healthy and not depressed." The family brought Youssef a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug.

"Youssef promised us that he did not have any bad intentions and that once the true nature of the evidence is displayed he will be exonerated," said Youssef's sister, Mariam Megahed, 18, speaking for her father.

"After meeting with Youssef, we now believe more than before in the innocence of Youssef in this matter, and feel this incident is all a big misunderstanding."

Ben Montgomery can be reached at bmontgomery@sptimes.com or 813 310-6066. Times staff writer Dong-Phuong Nguyen contributed to this report.

[Last modified August 11, 2007, 22:12:10]