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Student Arrested After Pilot Uniform Found...

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FN FAL

Freight Dawgs Rule
Joined
Dec 17, 2003
Posts
8,573
Student Arrested After Pilot Uniform Found

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- 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.
.....You can't have any meat, unless you eat your pudding.
 
RogerPodacter said:
good job on the company reporting this. sounds fishy to me
Maybe the guy was just airline wannabe geek that had a problem with his finances. You think owl-kay-duh would let a cell member run around broke?
 
Odd that the article does not mention whether he was a flight student or not. It is possible that he bought these training videos in preparation to learn how to fly. He may also be a Private Pilot working on advanced ratings and may have a side thing where he sits right seat as a warm body for experience and needs to wear the outfit. The article is very selective in what facts are included or excluded. Sporty's offers an array of DVD's all of which he probably had in his possession, but they thought the title of "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" would be more intersting to mention.

How would any company disburse $3000 worth of merchandise without accepting payment? Did he cancel or dispute the credit card charge? Why would he attract attention if had evil designs, especially in this climate. I don't doubt that this person may have some malicious intentions.

Hope more comes out about the story. All we need is more restrictions on student pilots.
 
Somethin' ain't right.

NYCPilot said:
How would any company disburse $3000 worth of merchandise without accepting payment? Did he cancel or dispute the credit card charge? Why would he attract attention if had evil designs, especially in this climate. I don't doubt that this person may have some malicious intentions.
Hope more comes out about the story. All we need is more restrictions on student pilots.

Excellent point; we're not getting the "rest of the story".

I don't know about people named Mahmoud but for the rest of us; Sporty's or for that matter, any other pilot orientated outfit that I've dealt with, won't let you have doo-dog-squat until your credit card or check clears.

I guess they wouldn't have turned him in until after the terrorist attack if he hadn't stiffed 'em. :rolleyes:

Osama's gonna' be pi$$ed if he's been blowing all that bomb money at the riverboats. :D

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