MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A university student from Egypt was ordered held without bond after prosecutors said they found a pilot's uniform, chart of Memphis International Airport and a DVD titled "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" in his apartment.
The FBI is investigating whether Mahmoud Maawad, 29, had any connection to terrorists. He is awaiting trial on charges of wire fraud and fraudulent use of a Social Security number.
Maawad, who is in the United States illegally, told the judge during a hearing Thursday that he is studying science and economics at the University of Memphis.
"My school is everything. I stay in this country for seven years; I stay for the school," he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Parker said Thursday that the airport-related items were found during a Sept. 9 search.
"The specific facts and circumstances are scary," Parker said.
U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Thomas Anderson ruled that Maawad be held without bond.
"It is hard for the court to understand why he has a large concentration of those (aviation) items, and nothing else to indicate Mr. Maawad plans to stay in the community," Anderson said.
Maawad had ordered $3,000 in aviation materials, including DVDs titled "Ups and Downs of Takeoffs and Landings," "Airplane Talk," "Mental Math for Pilots" and "Mastering GPS Flying," FBI agent Thad Gulczynski testified.
The company reported Maawad to authorities when he didn't pay for $2,500 of merchandise it had delivered, Gulczynski said.
Thor Simpson
09-17-05, 12:36 AM
At least he bought the one on Takeoffs and Landings to throw off the agencies. ;)
NORML54601
09-17-05, 01:38 AM
a DVD titled "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" in his apartment.
Worst. Movie. Ever.
tommy28
09-17-05, 06:45 AM
how can an "illegal" muslim be enrolled in college????
At the very least this guy should be deported back to egypt and never let back in the country.
Nazgul
09-17-05, 08:25 AM
Oh come on. He's a student. A Student. This is just a big mixup.
bhk
09-17-05, 12:49 PM
Free Mike Hawash.
huzefa
09-17-05, 02:43 PM
So... Muslims are illegal now?
bhk
09-17-05, 02:54 PM
So... Muslims are illegal now?
From the article
Maawad, who is in the United States illegally,
It'd be nice if people actually read the article before deciding Islam is under attack.
Goldblum
09-17-05, 04:45 PM
Is this the Special Limited Edition? Is it anamorphic?
Okay, on a serious note...I heard about this today on the radio. This guy was up to no good. Look at all the shit they found him with. What is any possible reason (besides terrorism) he would have all that? Not "to be a student", that's for sure.
Thor Simpson
09-17-05, 04:51 PM
What is any possible reason (besides terrorism) he would have all that?
Chicks?
Is this the Special Limited Edition? Is it anamorphic?
Okay, on a serious note...I heard about this today on the radio. This guy was up to no good. Look at all the shit they found him with. What is any possible reason (besides terrorism) he would have all that? Not "to be a student", that's for sure.Maybe the guy's just a huge aviation geek.
<img src="http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/dreamworks_skg/catch_me_if_you_can/_group_photos/amy_adams6.jpg">
I stand corrected.
SuprVgeta
09-18-05, 08:43 PM
how can an "illegal" muslim be enrolled in college????
Minority scholarship! ;)
Duran
09-19-05, 07:16 AM
I could envision the ACLU's defense right now.
"Well, your honor, Halloween is only a little more than a month away."
Way to beat down that strawman!
This guy wasn't arrested for terrorism or posessing the airline materials. He was arrested for not paying for them and for being in the country illegally. I think your proposed defense would be quite ineffective against such charges.
And if this guy actually was training to execute a 9/11 type of attack, he's pretty stupid. That sort of thing works once and only once.
Goldblum
09-19-05, 09:52 AM
And if this guy actually was training to execute a 9/11 type of attack, he's pretty stupid. That sort of thing works once and only once.
Are you serious?
AGuyNamedMike
09-19-05, 09:55 AM
Well, I know If I was on a plane and it got hijacked, based on the events of 9/11 I would decapitate the fuckers with my seatback tray table. Or my teeth.
nemein
09-19-05, 09:59 AM
Are you serious?
I would be very surprised if someone attempted it again, much less succeded. At this point what I'd be more afraid of is completely bogus flights (not a hijack but the suicide bombers buy/steal the plane, pack it w/ explosives and fly it themselves).
Duran
09-19-05, 10:30 AM
Are you serious?
Uh, yeah. Do you really think the passengers would let Middle Eastern men successfully take control of a plane at this point? Would you?
nemein
09-19-05, 10:31 AM
Uh, yeah. Do you really think the passengers would let Middle Eastern men successfully take control of a plane at this point? Would you?
I don't think it's just a race issue... I don't think passengers would let ANYONE take control of a plane at this point.
Duran
09-19-05, 10:34 AM
I don't think it's just a race issue... I don't think passengers would let ANYONE take control of a plane at this point.
Well, I was allowing for the fact that some passengers might think hijackers of a different appearance might be less likely to be suicide bombers.
Goldblum
09-19-05, 10:38 AM
Uh, yeah. Do you really think the passengers would let Middle Eastern men successfully take control of a plane at this point? Would you?
Oh, I agree that passengers would be more willing to fight back. But if you think it couldn't happen again, you're fooling yourself. If terrorists were able to get box cutters or the similar through security, kill the first person on the plane to try to stop them, spray mace or whatever in the cockpit to force the passengers back, and then force their way into the cockpit and kill the pilots, and do this all on a sparsely populated airplane, I definitely think it could happen again.
HOWEVER, this is all besides the point, since your post dealt with whether the terrorists (i.e. for the sake of argument, the guy just arrested) would try something like this again, not whether or not it would be successful.
lotsofdvds
09-19-05, 10:43 AM
Crop dusters. We've forgotten all about the crop duster plans.
Duran
09-19-05, 10:58 AM
Oh, I agree that passengers would be more willing to fight back. But if you think it couldn't happen again, you're fooling yourself. If terrorists were able to get box cutters or the similar through security, kill the first person on the plane to try to stop them, spray mace or whatever in the cockpit to force the passengers back, and then force their way into the cockpit and kill the pilots, and do this all on a sparsely populated airplane, I definitely think it could happen again.
HOWEVER, this is all besides the point, since your post dealt with whether the terrorists (i.e. for the sake of argument, the guy just arrested) would try something like this again, not whether or not it would be successful.
So if they
1. Get both mace and box cutters past security.
2. Succesfully use both box cutter and mace to incapacitate the entire cabin without incapacitating themselves (or do they have gas masks?).
3. Manage to get in the cockpit (how - ask nicely?).
4. Kill the pilots.
5. Not get shot by an Air Marshal.
Not buying it.
mosquitobite
09-19-05, 11:28 AM
What bothers me is if he had paid the bill, would we even know about him?
X
09-19-05, 11:30 AM
What bothers me is if he had paid the bill, would we even know about him?Sure we would. After a FedEx plane crashes into a refinery.
Duran
09-19-05, 02:15 PM
What bothers me is if he had paid the bill, would we even know about him?
Strangely, even 4 years after 9/11, the INS still can't find illegals.
nemein
09-19-05, 02:20 PM
Strangely, even 4 years after 9/11, the INS still can't find illegals.
It's not that strange at all given the number of illegals in the states, the limitations of the INS bureaucracy, and the fact these aren't passive targets they are looking for. This student was using a fake ID/SSN which presumably made it seem like he was here legally (or native born maybe). The types of policies that would need to be put into place to ensure tracking down all illegals would hopefully make everyone, not just the ACLU, cringe. That's not to say everything works fine as it is, there is certainly more that can be done/improved, but I find the blanket statement above ludicrious personally.
Tracer Bullet
09-19-05, 02:23 PM
Strangely, even 4 years after 9/11, the INS still can't find illegals.
That's probably because the INS doesn't exist anymore.
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