Mohamed to plead guilty to terrorism charge

Egyptian college student Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested in Goose Creek last August after a traffic stop, will plead guilty to a charge of providing material support to terrorists. The plea agreement was filed Friday in the case. Mohamed and Youssef Megahed were arrested by Berkeley County officials after deputies found what they thought were explosives in the trunk of their car. Megahed is still awaiting trial.

From The Post and Courier:

An Egyptian college student who videotaped himself showing how to turn remote-controlled cars into bomb detonators has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of providing material support to terrorists, according to a plea agreement filed Friday.

Ahmed Mohamed, one of two students arrested after a traffic stop in Goose Creek in August, will enter the plea at a hearing next week in federal court in Tampa, said his attorney Linda Moreno.

In the plea agreement, Mohamed acknowledges that the YouTube video was designed to help suicide bombers fight Americans in Arab countries.

From the St. Petersburg Times:

For their part, prosecutors plan to drop six other charges against Mohamed, 26, when he is sentenced. Among the counts to be dropped are charges of illegally transporting explosive material, possessing an unregistered destructive device, and a student visa violation for possessing a firearm.

"This plea agreement was at the request of our client after a very long and agonizing decision by both him and his family, and it was his decision to resolve this matter though this plea. We have to respect that," said attorney Linda Moreno, who along with Lyann Goudie, was preparing to defend Mohamed against the charges at a trial starting July 7.

Mohamed, an Egyptian national, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. His signed plea agreement spares him from a potential life sentence, the maximum had he been convicted on the charge of carrying a destructive device.

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