Megahed Out Of Hospital

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI The Tampa Tribune

Published: Nov 1, 2007

TAMPA - The father of a University of South Florida student charged with illegally transporting explosives passed out while visiting his son in jail Wednesday afternoon, according to a community activist.

Samir Megahed was taken to Tampa General Hospital but has been released, according to Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Megahed was visiting his son Youssef, who is being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail after being arrested in South Carolina on Aug. 4 with another student, Ahmed Mohamed. Mohamed is also charged with trying to help terrorists by teaching or demonstrating the use of explosives. He is accused of posting to the Web site YouTube a video in which he showed how to use a remote-controlled toy to detonate a bomb.

Sheriff's Maj. Robert Lucas said Samir Megahed passed out at 10:35 a.m. in the lobby of the jail. Megahed had gone outside to get some air and when he went back inside he passed out, Lucas said.

Megahed said he thinks he had another heart attack. He has said he had a heart attack in September.

Bedier said doctors want to perform heart surgery, but Megahed has not yet agreed to it.

"The doctors say I need surgery for my heart, but how can I make surgery and cannot visit my son?" he said in broken English. The family is from Egypt. "I will not forgive for myself if something happen to him."

Megahed and his wife and daughter were recently called to testify before a grand jury, but the couple's testimony was canceled because a translator was not available. Megahed said his 18-year-old daughter, Mariam, did testify but can't talk about it. "She afraid to speak any word," he said. "She knows if she says any word, they will punish her."

"I'm under stress," Megahed said. "I am under big stress. If your son is in jail for nothing, what is your feeling?"

Reporter Elaine Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com.