Posted on 08/08/2006 11:24:51 AM PDT by mojito
The FBI has issued an urgent nationwide alert for 11 Egyptian students who entered the United States last week but failed to show up for their courses at Montana State University.
An FBI advisory says there are, at present, no known connections to any terrorist group but that the students are to be "approached with caution" and taken into custody. They "are here illegally and wanted for questioning," the advisory says.
The advisory comes just over a month before the five-year anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on the United States.
"This is of very serious concern and is being closely tracked," said Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The FBI says the Egyptians arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on July 29 and disappeared. The advisory says the alert is nationwide but that there is specific concern the Egyptians may be on the Eastern Seaboard.
According to the advisory the 11 missing Egyptians are:
1. Ibrahim, El Sayed Ahmed Elsayed; DOB OF 4/29/1986.
2. El Dessouki, Eslam Ibrahim Mohamed; DOB OF 02/21/1985.
3. El Bahnasawi, Alaa Abd El Fattah Ali; DOB OF 04/02/1986.
4. Abd Alla, Mohamed Ragab Mohamed; DOB OF 02/15/1984.
5. El Laket, Ahmed Refaat Saad El Moghazi; DOB OF 09/01/1986.
6. El Ela, Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Abou; DOB OF 02/02/1985.
7. El Moghazy, Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed; DOB OF 08/08/1986.
8. Abdou, Ebrahim Mabrouk Moustafa; DOB OF 02/25/1984.
9. El Gafary, Moustafa Wagdy Moustafa; DOB OF 07/01/1988.
10.Maray, Mohamed Saleh Ahmed; DOB OF 09/12/1985.
11.El Shenawy, Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad; DOB OF 08/12/1988.
John Fund? pppfffttt...
LOL:)
"Flying into JFK is good if you want to have some bogus excuses about not making your flight,"
It wouldn't be a bogus excuse.
I went through the JFK Port Of Entry this time a year ago, and it is a nightmare.
They route you down to a basement-like facility, no windows and bad ventilation, and you're pushed into a system of back-and-forth lanes about 2 feet wide, row upon row upon row of them. I'd guess there were 300 to 500 people crammed into this dismal little space, and you're just going back and forth for about an hour. It takes Zen-like patience to get through it without screaming.
I did miss the La Guardia shuttle bus (and thus the flight) I was aiming for, luckily I was able to get a later one that afternoon.
The JFK POE is no fun. But I'll bet they move the visa-entries through faster than at Denver, because there is an anxious crowd of many hundreds trying to get out of the JFK hellhole.
1. It could be just a good way for our government to have all Americans open their eyes in their own communities.
2. It could be purposed by the terrorists, so that attention is shifted, and terrorists who look differently can do their work.
1. It could be just a good way for our government to have all Americans open their eyes in their own communities.
2. It could be purposed by the terrorists, so that attention is shifted, and terrorists who look differently can do their work.
Thanks! I've always wanted to know the correct spelling of pppfffttt.
LOL
I just had my soup and yes, John Fund said they were probably working at McDonald's instead of building bombs in a basement.
And he said this based on what? Zero information as far as I can tell. Sheesh.
Welcome to Free Republic.
I hadn't heard what you posted about Egypt.
Virginia and West Virgina are two entirely different states. The cell phones in question were sold in West Virginia. I point that out because a surprising number of people don't seem to know that, of course there are a large contingent of people here who skim the thread and miss stuff, myself included. :)
Yeah, that was a lot of nothing. Did they get John Fund on screen so there could be "an expert" doing the reporting? He probably checked FreeRepublic and then went on air.
ROFL I know they're different states...I DID read too fast. :)
The Egyptian-types STILL could have bought the phones in WEST Virginia, right?
Semper Fi
Jed Babbin subbing for Hugh Hewitt is interviewing Whalid Phares about these students, Aug 22, Egyptian radicalism, etc now.
I did my best to type out the transcript of Gibson's interview with Fund. I had recorded that segment. Here it is:
Gibson: They're a group of 11 Egyptian exchange students and they are now missing. The men arrived in New York's JFK airport, all registered for school in the U.S. and then never showed up where they were supposed to. Now the Feds want to find them. How'd these guys get lost?
Gibson: The FBI issuing a nationwide alert for 11 Egyptian students. They entered the U.S. last month but never showed up for their classes at Montana State University in Boseman, Montana. And while the FBI says the missing students have no known connections to any terror group, it does say the men should be approached with caution. Joining me now; John Fund, Wall Street Journal Columnist.
Gibson: So, John, we have these....uh, we know the names of 'em, these eleven entered the country, they're on their way to Montana. I think it was a total of 17. Six made it. The other 11 didn't. And the FBI is saying that we're not really worried, we just want to find 'em; really fast. Should they be worried?
Fund: Well, eleven is a large number and it points out the fact that of the illegal aliens in this country, John, over half didn't cross the border illegally, they overstayed their visas or residence permits. And, I think it is very serious. Remember, the student visa program was very leaky before 911. They have tightened it up a little but I can report tonight there is an ongoing investigation about bribery in the student visa program. Whether or not people overseas are bribing low level consular officials to get into the country. That is serious. I think we have to find these people pretty quickly because eleven can do an awful lot of damage as a group.
Gibson: This is what the FBI said today. "The FBI and ICE (which is the Immigration Customs Enforcement) along with the state and local police continue to work to locate and interview these students. This remains an active investigation. There is no thread associated with these students. There is no additional information available at this time." (Quote was attributed to Special Agent Richard Kolko) (John laughs after reading that statement)
Fund: Well, look, they're probably harmless and they're probably enjoying the Grand Canyon for all I know. But the bottom line is this shows our security is not what it should be. Remember, we let the Taliban man in at Yale, he obviously should not have been in, he was a paid propagandist, an official of the Taliban regime that is killing Americans. We let him in to be a student at Yale. So clearly there are security problems here and we need to crack down on them.
Gibson: Ok, but this, the thing that's kind of startling about this is soon as they didn't show up at Boseman their visas were revolked. So they are now illegals. They're out running around, they can't show up at Boseman, they can't go do what they're supposed to do here. And yet they're just on the loose; much as I think Mohammad Atta was from Egypt too, wasn't he?
Fund: Yes, now, the good news is it's more likely they're going to be short-order cooks at a McDonald's somewhere than plotting to build some bomb in a basement. However, this just goes to show what can happen if you don't screen people properly and when they showed up in New York, wasn't there somebody there to make sure they got on the flight to Boseman? Apparently, not. I think there should have been.
Gibson: Alright, John Fund, the Wall Street Journal. Looking for those Egyptian students. John, thanks very much.
Yes, as if a bunch of students from Egypt wanted to sneak into our country on the ruse of going to college, but what they REALLY wanted was to work at McD's. sheesh!
Excellent, Chena! Standing O for you, but where are the photos dear?
(ducking)
That should have been "threat", not "thread" in the statement from the FBI.
Gibson: This is what the FBI said today. "The FBI and ICE (which is the Immigration Customs Enforcement) along with the state and local police continue to work to locate and interview these students. This remains an active investigation. There is no thread associated with these students. There is no additional information available at this time." (Quote was attributed to Special Agent Richard Kolko) (John laughs after reading that statement)
Wow! Great job, Chena; thank you.
So on the one hand, John Fund says it's very serious and on the other hand says maybe they're just visiting the Grand Canyon or working at McDonald's. If this is what passes for journalism these days...
BTW, why didn't Gibson think to ask what to me is the most glaring problem with these guys going missing.
Why, if they're going to school in Montana did they fly into JFK airport?
I haven't finished the photos yet. I'm going to use what the FBI apparently expects me to use. My psychic abilities and a pencil and paper to draw out what I THINK they MIGHT look like. ;)
:) Not sure if that's the correct spelling..but you knew exactly what I meant!
McD's? Fund is a McIdiot..
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