Explosives suspect tells government to stop the searches

TAMPA -- Youssef Megahed, detained by federal authorities on explosives charges, is revoking any permission he gave to government agents to search his home or anything else.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Adam Allen, Megahed's attorney, filed a notice with the court today withdrawing any consent to search items taken from Megahed after his arrest on Aug. 4.

"The filing of this notice is not an admission by the defendant that he has previously given voluntarily consent but is designed to put the government on legal notice that, to the extent the defendant has previously given any voluntary consent to search, that consent is withdrawn and revoked," Allen wrote.

Specifically mentioned in the court filing:

- A storage unit located at a U Store It on Skipper Road and any items contained inside.

- The Tampa Palms townhome on Anniston Circle where Megahed lives with his family and any items inside the home, including all computers and hard drives.

- A Garmin GPS device, purchased at Wal-Mart the day Megahed and fellow suspended University of South Florida student Ahmed Mohamed left for a trip to South Carolina, where they were arrested near a naval base.

- A 2000 Toyota Camry, registered to Megahed's brother Yahia Megahed, that Mohamed was driving when he and Youssef Megahed were stopped near Goose Creek, S.C., for speeding before being arrested by a sheriff's deputy who became suspicious of their behavior.

Megahed, 21, and Mohamed, 26, have each pleaded not guilty to an indictment that charges them with illegally transporting explosive materials. Mohamed has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of teaching or demonstrating how to make an explosive device.

They both remain at the Hillsborough County jail, where Megahed is awaiting a judge's decision to release him on pretrial bail.

Their trial could begin as early as Dec. 3.

-Kevin Graham, Times staff writer