Jurors decry post-trial arrest of Egyptian student

TAMPA, Fla. - Four jurors who acquitted an Egyptian college student of federal explosives charges criticized U.S. immigration authorities on Wednesday for trying to deport him, saying it was a “blatant disregard” of their verdict.

The jurors were among 12 who found Youssef Megahed, 23, not guilty April 3 of possessing explosives prosecutors claimed could have been used to build a destructive bomb or rocket.

Three days after Megahed walked free, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him as he left a Tampa store with his father. A document ordering Megahed to appear in immigration court said he was being deported based on the circumstances that resulted in the federal charges, said his attorney, Adam Allen. Megahed is being held pending a hearing that has yet to be scheduled.

“This sure looks and feels like some sort of ‘double jeopardy’ even if it doesn’t precisely fit the legal definition of that prohibited practice,” the jurors said in a statement. “More troublesome is the government’s seeming blatant disregard for the will of its own people.”

The statement was issued by foreman Gary Meringer and jurors Stephen Short, Sandy Cleland and Brenda Kumpf.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Ivan L. Ortiz-Delgado declined to directly address the jurors’ statement. He said in an e-mail that the immigration charges Megahed faces “differ significantly from those charged in his criminal case.”

He cited privacy laws in declining to provide details.

Allen said he was proud of the jurors for stepping forward.

“I’m heartened that they are as concerned about the well-being of my client as I am,” he said.

Megahed is a legal permanent resident who moved to the United States with his family when he was 11. His father said the family likely will move back to Egypt together if he is deported.