By CHARLES WILSON, Associated Press – 13 minutes ago
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A teenager who was one of three American college students arrested during massive protests in Cairo is an idealist who got caught up in the pro-democracy movement sweeping Egypt, his mother said Tuesday.
Derrik Sweeney, a 19-year-old Georgetown University student from Jefferson City, Mo., was arrested along with Luke Gates, a 21-year-old Indiana University student from Bloomington, Ind., and Gregory Porter, a 19-year-old Drexel University student from Glenside, Pa.
An Egyptian official said the students were arrested on the roof of a university building where they were throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters near Tahrir Square....
...Sweeney's mother, Joy Sweeney, described him as a principled person who stands up for his beliefs. He attended previous protests but stopped after a demonstration where dozens were killed, she said. He had assured his family the violence wasn't near him and he was safe.
Still, Joy Sweeney said she wasn't surprised he went.
"He got caught up in the whole college-change-the-world mentality, and he believes in democracy strongly," she said.
But she also said her son was the family peacemaker when siblings fought and she couldn't see him acting violently.
"I don't believe that he would intentionally throw a bomb at anyone," she said. "I don't believe that."
