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.
No pictures?
Yeah but a college usually only reports students missing after 30 days. They might know this. In the case of the Montana University, they just acted "outside the norm" and reported them to authorities because of the nature of the program.
Coinkydink? I wonder who suggested the program?
I'm not convinced that the Feds don't have their photographs. Perhaps I'm wrong, but aren't photographs required on visas, green cards, passports, etc? A family member had to have her photo taken in order to renew her visa. And not just any photo. They have to be a certain size, etc.
However, if bribery is involved, all bets are off.
Aren't people coming through Customs photogrpahed for that biometric ID program? So that even if the passport pics were screwed up, the pics should still be available from Customs?
They would still have a photo. Photos are checked and must match the ticket holder's face. When we arrived in Germany, they had to stamp our passport, that would happen here as well. The picture should have been checked. I would think they would have the correct picture with a fake name. imo
Someone on a thread suggested an Amber Alert be initiated for these missing students. I would have preferred that this situation be dealt with as if these missing students were from Norway, or some other innocent sounding place. An all points bulletin, Greta on the case, wide media focus like what they did for Natalie Holloway. Release their pictures, help what surely must be distraught Egyptian parents find their missing sons. Play it up innocently enough without being blamed for racial profiling.
I would have thought that too.. hard to believe there are no pictures...??
Has anyone read a report, or heard a report that says the FBI do NOT have photos of these men? I haven't, but I'm just wondering. If they don't have photos; why not? If they DO have photos; why not release them?
So these students are either from well-to-do families (who must be by now demanding that the U.S. find their missing sons), or they have "friends" who are well-to-do.
I don't know why those visas were denied. Good question.
Regarding 8-22:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008768
Didn't the course itself cost $2,000 US?
They'll be at Ned Lamont campaign headquarters tonight.
We don't actually know that the missing guys *don't* already speak English. The course sounded more like immersion - not necessarily ground level basics.
I don't know the answer to that, mewzilla. Maybe another FReeper will know.
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