Man Reported After He Didn't Pay For Most Materials

A 29-year-old Egyptian man arrested last week for wire fraud and fraudulent use of a Social Security number is now under FBI investigation for possible ties to terrorism, after authorities reportedly found a pilot's uniform and several DVD training materials in his possession.

Training aids such as Sporty's "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act" and McGraw-Hill's "Mastering GPS Flying" were found by investigators looking into the case of Mahmound Maawad, a University of Memphis student who is in the country illegally, according to the Associated Press.

"My school is everything," said Maawad at a Thursday court hearing. "I stay in this country for seven years; I stay for the school."

U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Thomas Anderson ruled that Maawad should be held without bond, pending the outcome of the investigation.

"It is hard for the court to understand why he has a large concentration of those items, and nothing else to indicate Mr. Maawad plans to stay in the community," Anderson said.

"The specific facts and circumstances are scary," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Parker. According to Parker, the pilot-related items were found during a search conducted two weeks ago.

FBI agent Thad Gulczynski testified Maawad had ordered $3,000 in aviation materials. The company Maawad ordered the materials from reported him when he didn't pay for approximately $2,500 of the merchandise it delivered, Gulczynski said.

FMI: www.fbi.gov, www.dhs.gov