Becca
08-06-2007, 09:13 AM
Goose Creek has a myspace page - this is an update from that page.
The Goose Creek Page
GOOSE CREEK — Two men detained and expected to be charged for carrying explosives in the trunk of a car Saturday are not suspected of orchestrating a terrorist plot, authorities said Sunday.
Meanwhile, an Islamic community leader from Tampa, Fla., whose been in touch with the families of the two detained college students told The Post and Courier that the men are not troublemakers and that they a were simply on a weekend trip to North Carolina.
The ordeal began Saturday night when police seized at least one explosive device and computer equipment from a sedan during a routine traffic stop on U.S. Highway 176, officials said. Berkeley County sheriff’s Lt. Vince Lombard said the vehicle had been stopped for speeding and the men were being held pending a charge of unlawful possession of an explosive device.
Authorities destroyed the device early Sunday morning and booked the driver and the passenger, both of Middle Eastern descent. By then, the FBI turned the case over to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization for Muslims, said the men arrested are Youseff Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 24 - two University of South Florida students.
Family members told Bedier they think the materials were leftover fireworks Megahed kept in his trunk since July 4.
“Both of them are really naïve kids,” Bedier said.
He said Megahed is a permanent legal resident of the United States and Mohamed was the passenger. Mohamed's legal status was not known. Bedier said police will not tell them why they’re being held without charges.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” Bedier said. “If they didn’t do anything wrong they need to be released.”
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Butch Henerey said they expect to charge the driver and passenger today. The charge is a state offense, and officials said they didn’t expect a federal charge to be filed. However, a terrorism task force is reviewing the evidence, said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.
“At this point, it is too early in the investigation to say there is any link to terrorism,” Kolko said.
Authorities declined to give any more details about the device or the men Sunday but said they expect to release more information during an 11:30 a.m. news conference.
Two men were pulled over at about 6 p.m. Saturday while driving a gray sedan on U.S. Highway 176, near Devon Pointe Apartments. Authorities closed the road for several hours as more than a dozen police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance surrounded the car.
A Charleston County Bomb Squad robot inspected the trunk of the car. A device was destroyed at the scene at about 4 a.m. The item made a loud bang similar to a firecracker when it was destroyed.
News that explosives were found Saturday shocked residents in and around Goose Creek, home to the Naval Weapons Station, which houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held.
Reach Andy Paras at 843-745-5891 or at aparas@postandcourier.com.
The Goose Creek Page
GOOSE CREEK — Two men detained and expected to be charged for carrying explosives in the trunk of a car Saturday are not suspected of orchestrating a terrorist plot, authorities said Sunday.
Meanwhile, an Islamic community leader from Tampa, Fla., whose been in touch with the families of the two detained college students told The Post and Courier that the men are not troublemakers and that they a were simply on a weekend trip to North Carolina.
The ordeal began Saturday night when police seized at least one explosive device and computer equipment from a sedan during a routine traffic stop on U.S. Highway 176, officials said. Berkeley County sheriff’s Lt. Vince Lombard said the vehicle had been stopped for speeding and the men were being held pending a charge of unlawful possession of an explosive device.
Authorities destroyed the device early Sunday morning and booked the driver and the passenger, both of Middle Eastern descent. By then, the FBI turned the case over to the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.
Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization for Muslims, said the men arrested are Youseff Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 24 - two University of South Florida students.
Family members told Bedier they think the materials were leftover fireworks Megahed kept in his trunk since July 4.
“Both of them are really naïve kids,” Bedier said.
He said Megahed is a permanent legal resident of the United States and Mohamed was the passenger. Mohamed's legal status was not known. Bedier said police will not tell them why they’re being held without charges.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” Bedier said. “If they didn’t do anything wrong they need to be released.”
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Butch Henerey said they expect to charge the driver and passenger today. The charge is a state offense, and officials said they didn’t expect a federal charge to be filed. However, a terrorism task force is reviewing the evidence, said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.
“At this point, it is too early in the investigation to say there is any link to terrorism,” Kolko said.
Authorities declined to give any more details about the device or the men Sunday but said they expect to release more information during an 11:30 a.m. news conference.
Two men were pulled over at about 6 p.m. Saturday while driving a gray sedan on U.S. Highway 176, near Devon Pointe Apartments. Authorities closed the road for several hours as more than a dozen police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance surrounded the car.
A Charleston County Bomb Squad robot inspected the trunk of the car. A device was destroyed at the scene at about 4 a.m. The item made a loud bang similar to a firecracker when it was destroyed.
News that explosives were found Saturday shocked residents in and around Goose Creek, home to the Naval Weapons Station, which houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where enemy combatants have been held.
Reach Andy Paras at 843-745-5891 or at aparas@postandcourier.com.