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Jury Selection Begins In Ex-USF Student's Trial

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By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 16, 2009

TAMPA - A federal judge this afternoon began the tedious process of winnowing the pool of potential jurors into those who will hear testimony in the case of Youssef Megahed, a former University of South Florida student charged with transporting explosives.

U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday began questioning the 35 people called as potential jurors. Merryday said he would reduce the pool to 12 jurors and two or three alternates.

Jury selection ended just after 5 p.m. and is expected to resume Tuesday morning.

Megahed, a 23-year-old Egyptian, was arrested in South Carolina in 2007 when deputies said he and another student had pipe bombs in the trunk of their car.

Merryday quizzed potential jurors on whether they knew Megahed, his public defenders, prosecutors, investigators or witnesses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hoffer read a list of 52 potential prosecution witnesses. Assistant Federal Public Defender Adam Allen listed 16 potential witnesses, including Megahed.

When Merryday asked whether the potential jurors had heard anything about the case, 19 of the 35 raised their hands. The judge said he would question those people further later in the selection process.

Megahed wore a white shirt and tie. His family sat behind him in the last row of the gallery.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed the case would probably take two to three weeks to present testimony.

Megahed and Ahmed Mohamed, who was also an Egyptian studying at USF, were pulled over in South Carolina in August 2007. Deputies said they found PVC pipes stuffed with kitty litter, corn syrup and stump remover in the car's trunk – a mixture federal authorities dubbed a "low explosive."

Also found in the trunk was a partially filled can of gasoline, a safety fuse and a .22-caliber pistol.

Megahed maintains his innocence, claiming the deputies who stopped him were prejudiced against those from the Mideast.

The defense contends the two students were on a road trip to visit beaches with homemade fireworks, or "sugar rockets," to celebrate Mohamed's birthday.

Investigators say they also found Mohamed's laptop computer and a YouTube video he made showing "martyrs" how to use remote-controlled toys to detonate bombs.

Deputies said they saw Megahed, the passenger, disconnect wires from the laptop and throw them into the back seat. Minutes before the stop, someone used the laptop to view a video of rockets being fired.

Mohamed said he posted the YouTube video hoping it would help martyrs harm U.S. troops overseas. He pleaded guilty to helping terrorists and is serving 15 years in federal prison.

Megahed has not been linked to the YouTube video.

Information from Tribune archives was used in this report. Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698.

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