FBI searching for 11 Egyptian students who arrived at JFK and then disappeared

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Eleven Egyptian students who arrived in the United States last month are being sought by authorities after failing to turn up for an exchange program at Montana State University.

The Egyptian men were among a group of 17 students who arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York from Cairo on July 29 with valid visas, according to U.S. authorities and university officials.

The other six have arrived at the Bozeman, Mont., campus for a monthlong program on English language instruction and U.S. history and culture, university spokeswoman Cathy Conover said.

When the 11 didn't turn up by the end of the last week, the FBI issued a lookout to state and local law enforcement, said FBI Special Agent Richard Kolko.

"At this point all they have done is not show up for a scheduled academic program," Kolko said. "There is no threat associated with these men."

They are between 18 and 22 years old, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the search for the men is continuing.

U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement declined to make their names public.

The government probably will seek to send the students home once they are located because they have violated the terms of their visas, the official said.

The government tightened the student visa process after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when it learned that four of the hijackers entered the country on foreign student visas.

The school has tried repeatedly to contact the students, Conover said, including sending e-mails. When that failed, the school notified Homeland Security officials and registered the Egyptians as "no-shows" in the system developed after Sept. 11 to track foreign students, Conover said.

They were participating in an exchange program Montana State arranged with Mansoura University in Mansoura, Egypt.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/07/...in1873057.shtml

[Jenn! 918]

The other six have arrived at the Bozeman, Mont., campus for a monthlong program on English language instruction and U.S. history and culture, university spokeswoman Cathy Conover said.

Sounds like a snoozefest..... No wonder they skipped out. They're probably in Vegas....

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The other six have arrived at the Bozeman, Mont., campus for a monthlong program on English language instruction and U.S. history and culture, university spokeswoman Cathy Conover said.

Sounds like a snoozefest..... No wonder they skipped out. They're probably in Vegas....

Could be. If that's the case they probably don't know the US tracks foreign students now. It ain't like the good 'ol days.

[desert_fox 32]

I dont see how they could be considered as a non-threat. Lets see if they eave the country on time.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Lets see if they eave the country on time.

From the article:

The government probably will seek to send the students home once they are located because they have violated the terms of their visas, the official said.

Which means they are already out of status. The term of a student visa is usually a date or Duration of Status, whichever is earlier.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

I dont see how they could be considered as a non-threat. Lets see if they eave the country on time.

what's the daily bag limit on students who have voided their visa? is it 1 per day 2 in possession?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I dont see how they could be considered as a non-threat. Lets see if they eave the country on time.

what's the daily bag limit on students who have voided their visa? is it 1 per day 2 in possession?

That only applies to student pilots.

[seldi 1]

Greaaaaat, now it'll be even HARDER to get visas....

[Mirorgate 0]

Greaaaaat, now it'll be even HARDER to get visas....

possibly... but to men in the ME/NA area since the guys skippin out are Egyptian

[vartan 0]

There is a very popular school in my area for foreign students.. (how I met my fiance when she was here) and there were many many people that would come here pretending to be on school visas then dissapear... Course most of the ones I have heard the parents are not happy with them either. Since to be a foreign student you need to front the money up front.

Edited August 8, 2006 by vartan

[Nizzy 1]

Oh Goodness. I mean I don't want to automatically jump to conclusions due to their nationality but I thought that there would be a close eyes placed on anyone who enters the country on a visa. I just don't get what the government is doing...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

FBI has released their names...

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.

From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.. apparently, none of the 11's parents have called the University to enquire about their kids.

"I think these students decided they wanted to use their time in other ways, connected to being in New York, rather than Montana," Norm Peterson, MSU's vice provost for international education, said Monday.

Although Montanans may think of MSU as a great mecca, its fame as a wonderful, euphoric place to live and study "has not reached audiences around the world," Peterson said.

"We fight an image problem all the time," he said. "It may be one of the things that happened."

The 11 students' parents aren't frantically phoning MSU, Peterson said. They apparently know where the young men are.

Edited August 8, 2006 by Gupt

[mawilson 2,133]

De Niro announced their names earlier...

1. M'Balz Es-Hari

2. Graabir Boubi

3. Haid D'Salaami

4. Hous Bin Pharteen

5. I-Bin Pharteen

6. I-Zheet M'Drurz

7. Shaif Hirboush

8. Al-Suq Akweer

9. Mustaf Herod Apyur Poupr

10. Awan Afuqya

11. Yul Strokheet Al-Wauch

12. Apul Madeek-Aoud

13. Yuliqa M'Diq

14. Uwana M'Diq

15. Usuqa M'Diq

[brtlmj 0]

I dont see how they could be considered as a non-threat.

The fact that some of the pigs of 9/11 entered the US on student visas does not make students any more dangerous than, say, tourists.

Actually, let's be glad that neither of them used K-1. We'd be fu**ed.

Bartek

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

*loads shotgun*

is there a bounty on these visa jumpers yet?