My guess was that they were never asked what they think of the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. Sheesh. I can understand one or two guys ducking out and living like a decadent westerner for a few days, but 11 stretches the mind in unforeseen ways.
The university is in Mansoura,apparently a Muslim Brotherhood strongholds.
But like everyone here on this thread, I somehow doubt it, and I am uneasy. I would be especially uneasy of I lived in NYC.
If these students are Muslim "twelvers" who believe the Madhi is about to return on the 22nd of August, there is very good reason to be uneasy. I also think that the US Embassy in Egypt has provided belated back channel info. on these students that has made the FBI go public in their hunt for these students, so they won't take maximum flack after the case might explode into tragedy.
The BIG MISTAKE?
No release of visa photos, which the University must have on all visa applications which had been processed prior to granting the visas.
Non-release of the photos make this appear to be an FBI CYA operation.