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Home Front: WoT
Egyptian officials to meet with Florida 'students'
2007-09-05
Hat tip Michelle Malkin.
Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated Sunday that Egyptian officials are to meet with the two Egyptian students charged with transporting explosives in the United States. The students were arrested on August 4 in South Carolina. A federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida has indicted them on charges of illegally transporting explosives over state lines.

"Officials from the Egyptian embassy in Washington will meet the two students at their place of detention on Wednesday," the ministry said Sunday. "The Foreign Ministry will spare no efforts in defending the interests of Egyptians abroad as long as they respect the laws of the countries they are in."
That's their right, and the indicted men have the right to counsel from their embassy.
Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Saturday that Washington denied Cairo's request to meet with the two men.
Got another wrong, did they?
The two University of South Florida, Ahmed Abdel Latif Sherif and Youssef Samir Megahed were arrested after being stopped for speeding in Goose Creek, South Carolina and police say they found "pipe bombs" in their car. Sherif is a graduate engineering student and teaching assistant at the University of South Florida in Tampa, while Megahed is a civil engineering student.
Just a couple of misunderstood students, that's all ...
Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit met Sunday with Ahmed's father, the ministry added. Megahed's father, who lives in the U.S., said Saturday he and his son have cooperated with federal investigators, but the situation is worsening. "They want us to say what they want to hear," the father told The Tampa Tribune Saturday. "They want the stories they have in mind. It's all in their imagination."
How much imagination do we need after 9/11?
If they are taken to trial and found guilty, the two men could face up to 20 years in prison on the charges that can be considered an act of terrorism.

"The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are proven guilty," a Justice Department official said Friday.
Yup. Let's see what the evidence looks like in open court.
Posted by:

#6  "The Foreign Ministry will spare no efforts in defending the interests of Egyptians abroad as long as they respect the laws of the countries they are in."

Now I haven't been exactly followin this one very closely...

But it's astounding to me up front that the Egyptian Government I know would even entertain the notion of helping an Egyptian citizen unless that Egyptian citizen's family was of VIP status back home. Or the Egyptian citizen in trouble was doing some dirty deeds for the Egyptian SS when discovered.

/2¢ & keep the change
Posted by: Red Dawg   2007-09-05 20:36  

#5  When pronounced in English, it sounds like "DEEEEAAAAATTTHHH! DEEEEEVVIIIIIL! AAARRRRGGHHH!"
Posted by: Free Radical   2007-09-05 09:19  

#4  Back on topic, I read that "Megahed", when pronounced with an Egyptian accent, is sounded as Mujahid.
Posted by: Seafarious   2007-09-05 01:45  

#3  Sorry. Editors + sleep - switch = full hopper, empty Rantburg.

In other words, we forgot to hit the "Publish All" button.

D'oh!
Posted by: Seafarious   2007-09-05 01:42  

#2  No other news? All the world's troublemakers and terrorists must be dead or something. Except for these two. Liberals are clamoring to let them out so they can start the whole process again.
Posted by: gorb   2007-09-05 01:27  

#1  OT, something's odd here with RB, I see only one post. Tried diff browsers--the same story.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-09-05 01:13  

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