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08-21-2009, 01:06 PM #1
FL-Judge tosses deportation case against Egyptian man
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Judge tosses deportation case against Egyptian man
By MATT SEDENSKY
Aug. 21, 2009, 11:17AM
MIAMI — An Egyptian man who was acquitted of terrorism-related charges earlier this year should not be deported, a judge in Florida ruled Friday.
Youssef Megahed, 23, was not immediately released following the decision by Immigration Judge Kenneth Hurewitz. He was due back in Hurewitz's courtroom Friday afternoon for a bond hearing, but Megahed attorney Charles Kuck said his client would likely remain behind bars if the government files an appeal, as expected.
Still, the decision was a victory for Megahed, who was found not guilty of federal explosives charges in April, but then was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"He was stunned," Kuck said, saying his client didn't initially understand the decision. "Then we explained it and a big grin came on his face. He was very grateful."
Elaine Komis, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review in the U.S. Department of Justice, confirmed Hurewitz's decision to terminate the case, but did not comment further. A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he could not immediately comment.
Megahed is a legal permanent resident who moved to the United States with his family when he was 11.
The former student, who is one class shy of an engineering degree at the University of South Florida, was arrested with a fellow Egyptian national during a traffic stop near Charleston, S.C., in August 2007.
Prosecutors claimed the lengths of PVC pipe packed with a common homemade explosives mixture found in the trunk of their car could have been used to build a destructive device.
A defense attorney argued the items were engines for homemade model rockets that were put into the car without Megahed's knowledge before an innocent college road trip to the Carolina beaches.
The three-week trial did not include details about the apparent terrorist leanings of Megahed's older companion and fellow USF student, Ahmed Mohamed. Mohamed, 27, pleaded guilty in December to providing material support to terrorists by making a YouTube video that demonstrated how to convert a remote-controlled car into a bomb detonator.
He spoke in Arabic on the video, saying he wanted to teach "martyrdoms" and "suiciders" how to save themselves so they can continue to fight invaders, including U.S. soldiers.
Megahed was not charged in connection with the video. A judge ruled it was irrelevant and could not be used as evidence against him at trial.
"The judge did the absolutely correct thing," Kuck said Friday, "just like the jury did four months ago."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 81717.htmlSupport our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at http://eepurl.com/cktGTn
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08-21-2009, 03:22 PM #2
This one is outrageous. The fact that he was acquitted in court previously was a bad move to begin with. He's a terrorist or a terrorist sympathiser and they should have let the deportation proceed. Now that It appears that he's staying, they need to watch him like a hawk.
Illegal aliens remain exempt from American laws, while they DEMAND American rights...
Laura Loomer - Woke up this morning to a @nytimes article...
03-27-2024, 11:36 PM in General Discussion