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Arrested student's home tied to Sami Al-Arian 
Prosecutor says Muslim men discovered in South Carolina had pipe bomb

Temple Terrace, Florida - One week after USF students Youseff Megahed and Ahmed Mohamed made their first court appearance in South Carolina, authorities still haven't said exactly what material was in the trunk of Megahed's car.

The students told deputies it was fireworks, the prosecutor called it a pipe bomb. But after visiting him in South Carolina, the Megahed family says they're even more convinced of his innocence.

Mariam Megahed, Defendant’s Sister:
    “Youssef promised us he didn't have any bad intentions and once the true nature of the evidence is displayed, he will be exonerated.”

On Sunday, real estate investor Noor Salhab says one of the students arrested, Ahmed Mohamed, was in the process of moving into his home on Pampas Place in Temple Terrace.

Salhab says the FBI searched the home on Saturday and confiscated a phone, computer, gasoline tank and PVC pipe for the home's irrigation system. Salhab says many of the items seized belonged to his family, not Mohamed.

Noor Salhab, Homeowner:
    “It makes me feel bad that my own home is searched because of him.”

It's not the first time federal agents have looked into the home. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office confirms Salhab leased the house in the early 90's to World and Islam Studies Enterprise, a think tank for Sami Al-Arian, the former USF professor charged with funding Islamic terrorist organizations. Salhab's response?

Noor Salhab:
    “It has nothing to do with this, please.”

Oscar Westerfield, Retired FBI Agent:
    “It could be coincidence.  On the other hand there could be some linkage there. That's hard to say.”

Retired FBI Special Agent Oscar Westerfield and CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Bedier say the key to this investigation is FBI test results of the materials in Megahed's trunk.

Ahmed Bedier, Council on American-Islamic Relations:
    “Since this is a public interest, we're trying to weigh in and urge people to remain calm.”

An FBI spokesperson in Columbia, South Carolina refuses to talk about the students’ case and won't say when tests results of the material in the trunk will be released.