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Ex-UT student pleads guilty to violating TIA security

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TBO.com

Published: October 13, 2009

TAMPA - A former University of Tampa student accused of trying to sneak a large knife onto a commercial flight has pleaded guilty to entering an airport area in violation of security requirements.

Raed Abduhl-Rahman Alsaif was arrested June 4 at Tampa International Airport as he tried to board a US Airways flight to Phoenix and Portland, Ore., according to a criminal complaint.

During screening, an officer spotted a 7 1/4-inch chef's knife concealed between the outside fabric and the expandable handles of a roller bag Alsaif was carrying, according to the complaint and Alsaif's plea agreement.

Alsaif, who is from Saudi Arabia, is in the United States on a student visa and was attending UT until he was "academically dismissed" for bad grades in May, a federal prosecutor has said. Because he failed to file a timely appeal, he was in violation of his visa.

The charge to which Alsaif pleaded carries a maximum punishment of a year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine. He is likely to receive a lesser sentence under the terms of the plea agreement, which calls for Alsaif to be given credit for accepting responsibility.

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