A freshman at the University of Memphis is being investigated on suspected ties to terrorism after federal agents found a pilot's uniform, a map of Memphis International Airport and pilot-training materials in his off-campus apartment last week, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Mahmoud Maawad, an Egyptian native who is an illegal alien, was held without bond on charges of wire fraud and the fraudulent use of a Social Security number.
Maawad has been in the U.S. illegally since 1999, when his temporary visitor's visa expired. He used a false Social Security number to enroll at various higher-education institutions, said assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Parker, including Bergen Community College and Passaic County Community College, both in northern New Jersey.
Maawad cited education as his reason for overstaying his visa. He fell under suspicion after a pilot-supply company in San Diego reported him to law-enforcement authorities because he had run up a $2,500 debt.
