Egyptian ‘Blind Sheikh’ Omar Abdel-Rahman dies in US prison: daughter

The daughter of Egypt’s Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, considered the spiritual leader of the Islamist Gamaa Al-Islamiya group, said on Saturday on her Facebook account that her father has died in an American prison.

The 79-year-old Abdel-Rahman, also known as the “blind sheikh,” was serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing in New York, where six people were killed and hundreds were injured when a truck bomb was detonated in the building’s garage.

He was also convicted of plotting to bomb other New York targets, including the United Nations headquarters and a scheme to assassinate former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Abdel-Rahman’s family, supporters, and Egyptian human rights organisation had demanded in recent years that he be returned to Egypt due to his deteriorating health condition.

They also charged that the sheikh was subjected to strict special administrative measures that prohibited anyone, including his lawyers, from providing information to anyone outside the prison about his condition.

U.S. officials have denied these charges, saying the sheikh was getting the medical attention he needs.

Source: Ahram online