Mohamed to plead guilty to terrorism charge

An Egyptian college student who videotaped himself showing how to turn remote-controlled cars into bomb detonators has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of providing material support to terrorists, according to a plea agreement filed Friday.

Ahmed Mohamed, one of two students arrested after a traffic stop in Goose Creek in August, will enter the plea at a hearing next week in federal court in Tampa, said his attorney Linda Moreno.

For their part, prosecutors plan to drop six other charges against Mohamed, 26, when he is sentenced. Among the counts to be dropped are charges of illegally transporting explosive material, possessing an unregistered destructive device, and a student visa violation for possessing a firearm.

“This plea agreement was at the request of our client after a very long and agonizing decision by both him and his family, and it was his decision to resolve this matter though this plea. We have to respect that,” said attorney Linda Moreno, who along with Lyann Goudie, was preparing to defend Mohamed against the charges at a trial starting July 7.

Mohamed, an Egyptian national, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. His signed plea agreement spares him from a potential life sentence, the maximum had he been convicted on the charge of carrying a destructive device.