Were students carrying explosives in vehicle?

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Feb 6, 2008

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- A federal prosecutor disputes defense claims that two Egyptian college students arrested near a South Carolina Navy weapons station were carrying harmless fireworks and not dangerous explosives.

An attorney for Youssef Samir Megahed filed a motion last week asking a judge to reconsider granting bail. He cited an FBI report that characterized the items found in the trunk of the car as a pyrotechnic mixture that burned but didn't explode when tested.

But federal prosecutor Jay Hoffer, in a motion filed Monday opposing bond for Megahed, said defense attorney Adam Allen "mischaracterized" the FBI report in describing the items in the trunk as harmless.

Hoffer said the items -- including PVC pipe containing a mixture of sugar and potassium nitrate and capped with cat litter -- meet the federal legal definition of explosives.