Tel-Chai Nation

When Georgia Tech was in the news last, it was due to the actions of a prankster with a blog on MySpace.Com (and yes, that's bad news. WND has more to explain why) who seemed to think he was being a genius with his offensive actions.

Now, however, it looks like there's a terror suspect, much more authentic at that, who's been arrested at the university in Atlanta. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via The Buzz Blog and Michelle Malkin):

A 21-year-old Georgia Tech student taken into federal custody last month has been charged with giving "material support" to a terrorist organization, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

The student, Syed Haris Ahmed, a mechanical engineering major who had become increasingly religious in his Islamic faith, was arrested March 23 by the FBI.

"This is the first international terrorism charge ever filed in Georgia," said U.S. Attorney David Nahmias shortly after unsealing the indictment "The charge against Mr. Ahmed is serious and involves national security and will be prosecuted with that in mind."

Authorities declined to provide details about the charges but said they had investigated Ahmed for about a year.

Jack Martin, Ahmed's court-appointed lawyer, refused to comment on the case. Ahmed's family has rejected the suggestion that the student has been involved in terrorism.

On Wednesday, Ahmed appeared before U.S. Magistrate Joel Feldman and pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said Thursday. Ahmed was ordered to be held in custody pending trial.

Ahmed was taken into custody, his family said, apparently because authorities suspect a videotape he made of a building may have been related to terrorism.

Gregory Jones, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta office, would not say what started the investigation.

Ahmed's family immigrated from Pakistan in 1997 and are now U.S. citizens living in Dawsonville.

Family members said agents confiscated computer hard drives and data CDs from their home last month.

Ahmed told his family that authorities found a video on the Internet and apparently traced it to him. The video was of a building and was perhaps made during a trip with friends. Ahmed's family members said they did not know the location of the building or when the tape was made.

WAGA-TV reported that the station's sources say the FBI believes Ahmed traveled to Pakistan last year to attend a terrorist training camp. His family acknowledged that he traveled to Pakistan, but they said he was merely attending a religious school. The report cannot be independently verified.

When the prank-pulling student at Georgia Tech did his dirty deed last year, he did something very dangerous: he risked causing people to let down their guard, and when you let down your guard, there's the danger of letting suspects like Syed Ahmed get past us. Thank goodness the Feds were able to catch him, because there's every possibility that he could've been up to no good.

The AP, via the Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus, GA, also reported that:

Ahmed's mother, Samia, said he did visit Pakistan in 2005 for a month, but for Islamic study.

Ooooooops! "But?" Sorry, but, NO buts, please! And why do I get the feeling that the use of word "apparently" could be propaganda too? There's something to ponder as well.

Also available at Alabama Improper, Basil's Blog, Jo's Cafe, Voteswagon.

Labels: war on terror