Frank Green, the neighbor of a U of M student being investigated for possible terrorist ties, never suspected Mahmoud Maawad to be a terrorist.
"We talked about Islam and different things we could learn from each other," Green said.
Maawad was arrested Sept. 9 and taken into custody without incident.
According to a Sept. 16 article in the Commercial Appeal, FBI agents found a desk, chair, computer and a Koran. They also found an airline pilot's uniform, a chart of Memphis International Airport, and instructional DVDs, including one called "How an Airline Captain Should Look and Act."
However, George Bolbs, media coordinator for the Memphis office of the FBI, could not confirm that all the items had been found.
An affidavit by Maria C. Irizarri, special agent for the FBI, stated that Mawaad placed 11 orders for flight equipment on the Sporty's Pilot Shop Web site located in San Diego, Calif.
Mawaad used the e-mail address pilot747-200@hotmail.com along with a debit card to make the purchase.
UPS delivered eight merchandise orders to Maawad's Mynders Avenue apartment.
"The three final orders of the 11 orders were cancelled by Sporty's Pilot Shop for lack of funds," Irizarri said in the federal affidavit.
On Sept. 9, Sporty's Pilot Shop employees reported that they hadn't received any payment for the merchandise.
The FBI's Bolbs said Maawad is being charged with fraud by wire.
"He was buying stuff that he couldn't pay for," he said.
Maawad used a B-2 Visitor's visa to enter the United States from Egypt on Sept. 17, 1998, and was scheduled to leave March 16, 1999. He received an extension to stay in the states until Sept. 17, 1999.
No records have indicated that Maawad left.
Maawad used an invalid social security number to enroll at The University of Memphis in spring 2003. He registered as a transfer student from a New Jersey community college instead of registering as an international student, Irizarri learned from Bruce Harber, director of police, at The University.
He was an undeclared major in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics.
"When a student turns in application papers, they submit information from a variety of sources. If each source corroborates each other, we have no reason to believe the student is not telling the truth," said Curt Guenther, U of M director of communications services.
There was no reason to question Maawad because all his information was supported, he said.
An economics teacher and his students could not identify Maawad when shown his picture.
"As of Friday last week, he's technically still enrolled (at The University)," Guenther said.
Frank Green said he and Maawad spoke to each other on several occasions. After the FBI came, he hasn't seen Maawad since.
"He's a cool guy, not a terrorist," Green said.
