US jury deliberates fate of Egyptian youth accused of smuggling explosives

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A federal jury in Florida is deliberating on the fate of an Egyptian college student accused of transporting bomb ingredients across state lines. Prosecutors say 23-year-old Youssef Samir Megahed had four sections of PVC pipe containing an explosive mixture and fuses in the trunk when he and a friend were stopped for speeding near a South Carolina Naval base. They say the items are illegal to carry across state lines and could have been used to build incendiary bombs. Megahed's attorney says the items were model rocket engines and that the former University of South Florida student didn't know his friend put them in the trunk. The attorney has tried to distance Megahed from the friend, who pleaded guilty to making a video to aid terrorists.