TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

How Did Ahmed Mohamed Get In?

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 27, 2007

The newest evidence revealed in the case against former University of South Florida student Ahmed Mohamed is positively frightening.

Translated from Arabic, the video shows Mohamed encouraging would-be terrorists to use remote-controlled toys to detonate bombs.

What remains unanswered in this unfolding case is how Mohamed, who had been at USF since January, passed security checks before entering the country on a student visa issued by the U.S. State Department. Prosecutors believe the video was made after he arrived here.

Surely, Mohamed did not go from mild-mannered doctoral student to bomb-making instructor in the mere eight months between his arrival at USF and his arrest with fellow student Youssef Samir Megahed. The two were caught with explosives in their car near the Navy weapons station at Goose Creek, S.C.

USF did its part in ensuring Mohammed actually attended doctorate courses in engineering, but it relied on the federal government to determine whether he was a security risk. The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department should explain how it keeps students with radical tendencies out of the country.

Clearly something is afoul with security if an Arab bomb-making instructor can roost comfortably at an American university and teach others how to become more efficient killers. The public is due an explanation of how this occurred.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT