Mohamed pleads guilty to providing support for terrorists

TAMPA -- Former University of South Florida engineering student Ahmed Mohamed pleaded guilty this morning to a federal charge of providing material support for terrorists.

Mohamed, 26, agreed last week to forgo his impending trial and enter a guilty plea. In return, prosecutors will drop six other charges against him when he is sentenced in 2 1/2 half months.

Dressed in orange prison garb and leg shackles, Mohamed showed no emotion as he answered questions from U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Pizzo, who acccepted his plea.

An Egyptian national, Mohamed was arrested Aug. 4 , along with fellow USF student Youssef Megahed, 22, in Goose Creek, S.C. A deputy stopped their car for speeding, then discovered in its trunk what prosecutors alleged were low-grade explosives.

Prosecutors based their terrorism charge on a video they said Mohamed posted to YouTube in an effort to aid attempts by terrorists to murder employees of the United States, including military personnel.

Mohamed faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. His plea agreement protects him from what could have been a possible life sentence.

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Thomas Kaplan, Times staff writer