All Missing Egyptian Students Found

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August 14, 2006 12:34 PM

On Sunday night, ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents arrested Egyptian citizens Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, age 20, and Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, age 17, at an apartment building in Richmond, Va., apprehending the final two of 11 Egyptian students who had gone missing from JFK International Airport in New York last week. 

Sources tell ABC News the men were "sitting on a stoop" when the federal agents, who had received critical assistance from the Virginia State Police and the Richmond Police, showed up. They had rented an apartment and apparently were planning to stick around for a while. 

On Friday night, ICE agents in Des Moines, Iowa arrested Ahmed Refaat Saad El Moghazi El Laket, age 19,  Mohamed Ibrahim El Sayed El Moghazy, age 20, and Moustafa Wagdy Moustafa El Gafary, age 18. ICE agents tracked these students' travels from New York to San Francisco to Des Moines. 

The day before, ICE agents had arrested El Sayed Ahmed Elsayed Ibrahim, age 20, and Alaa Abd El Fattah Ali El Bahnasawi, age 20, in Dundalk, Md. Sources tell ABC News the men had gotten jobs working in a pizza joint. 

Also on Thursday, the Chicago Police Department had detained Ahmed Mohamed Mohamed Abou El Ela, age 22, at O'Hare International Airport as he attempted to book a flight to Montana. He was turned over to ICE.  Apparently, El Ela had heard federal agents were looking for him and thought it might a good time to show up to campus in Montana.

On Wednesday, the Manville, N.J. Police Department had detained Mohamed Ragab Mohamed Abd Alla, age 22, and Ebrahim Mabrouk Moustafa Abdou, age 22, after they turned themselves, having spent the time with family. Both were turned over to ICE.

The same day, FBI and ICE agents had arrested Eslam Ibrahim Mohamed El-Dessouki, age 21, in Minneapolis.

Preliminary investigation by both ICE and FBI agents has not identified any credible or imminent threat posed by any of the 11 Egyptian students.

As of last week, there were 1,300 cases involving possible student visa violations in the U.S.