Illegal Alien Poll at Charleston.net

The Charleston Post & Courier question is :

Do you think illegal immigrants should have the right to be issued South Carolina driver's licenses?

Vote here.

Goose Creek Terrorists One of Charleston Top 2007 News

It was #9 on the Charleston City Paper's Top 10 List of the year:

...the Aug. 4 arrest of two Egyptian-born students in Goose Creek for having incendiary devices in their car sent some reporters groaning about one local calamity too many. Reportedly traveling between Tampa, Fla., and North Carolina, Youssef Samir Megahed and Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed told officers there were "fireworks" in the trunk, which turned out to be explosives. They were charged in federal court in Tampa for carrying explosives over state lines. There was an additional terrorism-related charge for Mohamed after an instruction video posted on YouTube was found on his laptop that showed him creating a homemade bomb out of a toy boat.

Here is my own coverage of the event in order:

Breaking: Bomb Threat in Charleston

Charleston Bomb Suspects ID'd as "Islamic"

"He was in possession of pipe bombs"

Tampa Channel 10 on SC Bomb Suspects (video)

SC Bomb Suspects Linked To Sami Al-Arian

Goose Creek-FBI Cautions Against Common Sense

Breaking: Goose Creek Suspect Had Terror Past

Goose Creek Suspect Made Bomb Tape

Goose Creek Suspect Admits to Terror Video

Goose Creek Suspect Denied Bail

Goose Creek Suspect Denied Bail

Seems no one else is reporting this. From the Tampa Tribune:

A University of South Florida student charged with transporting explosives will not be released on bail, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

In ruling that Youssef Megahed poses a flight risk and a danger to the community, Judge Steven D. Merryday overturned a Sept. 14 ruling by federal Magistrate Elizabeth Jenkins, who said the defendant could be released on $200,000 bail under strict conditions.

Here's how the judge established his decision:

"Guns, explosives, fuses, canisters of gasoline, ammunition, welding equipment, GPS devices, all-night interstate drives to an unstated and indeterminate destination, stops to check gun prices and availability, and computers with a recent history of visits to sites that feature the advocates and the means of violence are not attributes that a disinterested but cautious observer associates with a safe and tranquil citizen of the community," the judge said.

Sounds reasonable to me! Thanks to Michelle Malkin and Glenn Reynolds.

Goose Creek Suspect Admits to Terror Video

Do we have to keep calling these guys suspects? From the Post & Courier:

One of the men facing federal charges for illegally transporting bomb materials through Goose Creek last month told authorities he filmed a how-to video on making bomb detonators to help Arabic countries defend against American troops and other "infidels."

Ahmed Mohamed told authorities that he made the Internet video to "assist those persons in Arabic countries to defend themselves against the infidels invading their countries" and that he "considered American troops, and those military forces fighting with the American military, to be invaders of Arab countries."

The admission is one of several new details about the Aug. 4 arrest contained in a recently released federal search warrant application. The 12-minute video was discovered on a laptop computer belonging to Mohamed. Other files on the computer indicated that the video had been posted to the video-sharing web site YouTube under keywords such as "martyrdooms" and "suiciders."

Funny, we didn't start invading Arab countries until after they started bombing us. It's the old victim mentality "you made us into bad people". And what's up with the "martyrdooms" and "suiciders" categories on YouTube? You'd think someone in charge over at the new owners Google might think "maybe this isn't a very family friendly thing that we'd want on on our site". You think?

Breaking: Suspicious Package Removed from Downtown Charleston

(Updates below)As reported by Charleston.net:

Charleston police around noon today removed a "highly suspicious" package found in the bushes between the sidewalk and the parking lot at the Bell South building at 180 Calhoun St.

The package was described as a small bag attached by wires to a cell phone with its antenna raised.

A dog trained to detect explosives examined the package and didn't detect anything unusual. The bomb squad's robot was sent in afterward. Police then took the device to an undisclosed location.

Police closed a section of Calhoun along with Bull and Pitt streets as well as parts of Vanderhorst, George and King streets and Rutledge Avenue.

Just before noon, police ordered onlookers to take cover

.

Is this a hoax? One can only hope...

Update-Appears to have been a hoax, according to the Post & Courier:

Authorities said Friday night that they had determined there was no explosive incendiary device and that the public was in no danger. They would not elaborate.The experience left some students shaken.

While I'm glad it wasn't a real bomb, this should be a wake-up call for Charleston First Responders, if the recent Goose Creek Incident isn't enough. We've been mostly spared any attacks or threats like some of the larger cities up north, but dare not be complacent. In this new globalised war, no one is safe.

Update 2-A local blogger writes "This is on the same block where I work every day. I work in the Bellsouth Building that they are talking about. Just the other day we received an e-mail about how people are now sending in e-mail bomb threats."

Goose Creek Suspect Made Bomb Tape

He even admitted to it, according to TampaBay.com:

Earlier in the court hearing Friday, an assistant U.S attorney
outlined the evidence confiscated from the car driven by Megahed and another
suspended USF student -- describing a container and three pipes filled with a
low-grade explosive mixture.
The list also included a videotape that
instructs viewers on how to convert a toy electric car into a detonator.
Defendant Ahmed Mohamed has admitted making the tape, and in it he says he
intended the instruction "to save one who wants to be a martyr for another
battle,'' said federal prosecutor Jay Hoffer.

The FBI knew about this tape all the time and were telling us "Nothing terror-related here". Our government at work, folks.

Also in the car were:

1. Three pieces of PVC piping that were filled with a mixture of potassium nitrate, Karo syrup and cat litter.
2. An electric drill
3. A box of .22 caliber bullets
4. A five gallon container filled with gasoline
5. 23 feet of safety fuse.
6. A laptop computer

The Laptop had the bombmaking video.

Thanks to Glenn Reynolds!

Breaking: Goose Creek Suspect Had Terror Past

Now here's some news! Friday we learned that the two Florida students arrested near the Charleston Naval Weapons Stations for possessing bomb-making components had been indicted. Now we learn this from the Counterterrorism Blog:

Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate
student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism
charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives.
According
to officials familiar with the case, Mohamed has been arrested previously in
Egypt on terrorism-related charges. He is said to have produced an Internet
video showing how to build a remote-controlled car bomb.

Just 2 "naive kids", eh? Out for a drive in the country and having fun with fireworks? Darn those Neocons!!!!

Thanks to the Andy McCarthy at the Corner for the tip.

Goose Creek-FBI Cautions Against Common Sense

Apparently they say throw reality to the winds on this case of the 2 Muslim bomb suspects caught near the Charleston Naval Weapons Station:

The FBI is urging people not to jump to conclusions in the case of
two men accused of having pipe bombs in their car, saying the allegations may
not be true.
One former federal prosecutor said the agency's statement was
"highly unusual."

This whole case has been unusual, as the Feds are going to great lengths to distance themselves from using the "T" word. Lets review the facts as we know them:

1. The 2 "Islamic" youths were caught speeding near the Goose Creek NWS, a military base that supports nuke subs and also imprisons terrorist suspects.



2. They were said to possess a laptop computer which they tried to hide from police.



3. The car contained elements to build a pipe bomb.



4. The "naive youths" once lived in the same home of a convicted terrorist supporter SamiAl-Arian.

Hmmm...Maybe you're right FBI! I'll cleanse my mind of all this evidence and think happy thoughts!

SC Bomb Suspects Linked To Sami Al-Arian

Riehl World View keeps us up to date:

Just wanted to add this bit of context from memory. Some initial
reports stated that the car in question belonged to the brother, now identified
as Yahia, and that the "fireworks" were his. That could prove interesting given
that he was likely a student at USF while Al-Arian was there. It's a thought,
anyway.
There's been another strange development regarding the searching of
a home in the investigation into Yousseff Samir Megahed and Ahmed Abda Mohamed,
arrested for allegedly carrying pipe bombs in their vehicle just miles from a
military facility in Goose Creek, South Carolina. According to this report, the home was also searched some
years back during the investigation into Sami
Al-Arian.

Here's Wikipedia on Al-Arian:

Al-Arian, a former university professor, was arrested by the United
States government in 2003 on charges of funding terrorists. He was acquitted on eight of the 17
charges against him December 2005 after a six month trial with three
co-defendants. On April 14, 2006 Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a single count of
conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and agreed to be
deported.

All this is too weird to be a coincidence. It is well known that Al Qaeda has sleeper cells scattered around the globe, and likely in the US. Though a few rockets would hardly do damage to the Naval Weapons Station, it would have been a badly needed propaganda coup for the terrorists, currently on the run thanks to the Surge.

Tampa Channel 10 on SC Bomb Suspects

This is very revealing. Again Riehl World View is on the story.

Jim Demint in Charleston Today

Received this email from the "leader of the most conservative bloc" in the Senate:

I am pleased to kick off my third annual South Carolina on the
Move tour in Charleston today. The theme of this year’s
tour is “Keeping SC Secure" and I will be traveling the state over the next two
weeks to highlight the work of South Carolina’s local law enforcement and first
responders.
These everyday heroes deserve our greatest respect and
admiration and my goal with this tour is to thank them for the positive impact
they have on their communities and the important sacrifices they make to keep
South Carolina secure.

As long as he continues to back the war, and tackle earmarks, he's got my support!

"He was in possession of pipe bombs"

News 4 reveals the 2 Muslims arrested near the Goose Creek Naval Weapons Station have been charged:

Twenty four year old Ahmed Mohamed and 21 year old Yousef Megahed
arrived in court under tight security.The two were arrested on Saturday
following a traffic stop in Goose Creek. The two are charged with possession of
an explosive device. "He was in possession of pipe bombs, and materials used to
make other bombs," said 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson...

One unanswered question, what were the pair doing in Goose Creek?

I got your answer right here. And Riehl World View is all over this story.

Charleston Bomb Suspects ID'd as "Islamic"

Here is the latest on the 2 men caught with explosives late Saturday near the Goose Creek Naval Weapons Station, from Charleston.net:

Ahmed Bedier, executive director of the Tampa chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization for Muslims,
said the men arrested are Youseff Megahed, 21, and Ahmed Mohamed, 24 - two
University of South Florida students.
Family members told Bedier they think
the materials were leftover fireworks Megahed kept in his trunk since July
4.
“Both of them are really naïve kids,” Bedier said.
He said Megahed is a
permanent legal resident of the United States and Mohamed was the passenger.
Mohamed's legal status was not known. Bedier said police will not tell them why
they’re being held without charges.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,”
Bedier said. “If they didn’t do anything wrong they need to be released.”

There are a lot of "naïve kids" blowing up our own kids in Iraq these days. Could be just a case of "being in the wrong place at the wrong time" but I appreciate the fact that Charleston and federal authorities are chasing all the angles to be safe.

More-CNN reports Federal Officials are disputing there was a bomb, though apparently there were "bomb-making elements" in the car.

Even More-A blogger at Infidels are Cool writes:

...we were stationed there for 3 years and NSW is home to our
nuclear submarines and nuclear ordinance and our Nuclear Traning Facility. And
I’m not talking about a few guns and some ammo, more like 60 million lbs. of
conventional ordinance and who knows how much nuke material and warheads.
Civilians were not allowed on base when nuke material was being moved to or from
subs or ships and Marine guards had orders to shoot to kill anyone approaching a
transport vehicle.

Again, all this could be a coincidence, but sounds pretty suspicious to me. I've been worried about the NWS ever since the war with Radicals started, and since it also includes a brig holding some serious enemies of America, I'm surprised such an incident hasn't occurred already.

This just in from Blogs of War " South Carolina Bomb Scare Suspects Car Contained Rocket Motors". Scary!

Breaking: Bomb Threat in Charleston

Goose Creek to be more exact. This is from the Orangeburg T & D:

Authorities closed a highway outside Charleston on Saturday night
after police found a "suspicious item" in a car, Charleston County Sheriff Al
Cannon said.Cannon would not say what the item was, but said a bomb squad
planned to demolish it early Sunday morning. He said the two men who were in the
car were still at the scene at 2 a.m. An FBI agent said officials were trying to
determine whether a crime had been committed.Broadcast outlets reported that
explosives had been found in the trunk of a car during a traffic stop.
Authorities closed the road at about 7 p.m. and federal officials later said
there was "no immediate threat."Goose Creek is home to the Naval Weapons
Station, which houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where
enemy combatants have been held. The traffic stop took place about 7 miles from
the sprawling Navy facility

.

Last night we were told the car was driven "by two men of Middle Eastern descent". No mention of that here. I'll update this later as I get more info.

I had a friend in Goose Creek. Hope her and the kids are well.

Update (8:30 PM)-Here's what we know so far:

• 2 Men stopped for speeding about 7 miles from the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, and are being held for allegedly possessing some type of explosive, .
• Bomb techs exploded the device about 2:45 AM this morning.
• Authorities say the explosion made a loud "bang" like a large firecracker.
• The FBI have declared "no immediate threat" to the Weapons Station or the public.

More as it comes in.