Excerpt:
Mayor Pam Iorio has decided to halt proclamations of an annual day in Tampa for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an organization that says it seeks to defend the civil rights of Muslims in the U.S., but has been accused of terrorist links.
Iorio has proclaimed a "CAIR Day" each fall since 2005. The organization has an active chapter in Tampa.
Among other activities, the group has defended Youssef Megahed, a University of South Florida student arrested in 2007 on explosives charges along with another student who was accused of aiding terrorists. Megahed was acquitted but is now subject to deportation proceedings.
Iorio, who didn't return calls for comment, said through a spokeswoman the mayor's decision was based on her own research on the group. She made the decision after at least two interest groups contacted the city about the matter.
The mayor's spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Iorio sought additional information based on a request from the Tampa Jewish Community Center and Federation.