Omar Abdel-Rahman: Difference between revisions

Omar Abdel-Rahman
Omar Abdel-Rahman
Born	3 May 1938; Al Gammaliyyah, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt
Died	18 February 2017 (aged 78); Granville County, North Carolina, United States
Cause of death	Diabetes and coronary arterial disease
Other names	The Blind Sheikh
Criminal status	Deceased
Spouse(s)	Aisha Hassan Gouda; A. Zohdi
Children	10
Conviction(s)	Seditious conspiracy, Terrorism
Criminal penalty	Life imprisonment plus 15 years

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Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman (Arabic: عمر عبد الرحمن, ‘Umar ‘Abdu r-Raḥman; 3 May 1938 – 18 February 2017), commonly known in the United States as "The Blind Sheikh", was a blind Egyptian Muslim leader who served a life sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Butner in Butner, North Carolina, United States. Formerly a resident of New York City, Abdel-Rahman and nine others were convicted of seditious conspiracy,^[1] which requires only that a crime be planned, not that it necessarily be attempted. His prosecution grew out of investigations of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Abdel-Rahman was accused of being the leader of Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya (also known as "The Islamic Group"), a militant Islamist movement in Egypt that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Egyptian governments. The group was responsible for many acts of violence, including the November 1997 Luxor massacre, in which 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians were killed.

Youth

Abdel-Rahman was born in the city of al-Gamalia, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, on 3 May 1938. He lost his eyesight when he was 10 months old. He studied a Braille version of the Qur'an as a child, had it memorized by age 11 and was sent to an Islamic boarding school. He developed an interest in the works of the Islamic radical reformists Ibn Taymiyah and Sayyid Qutb. He studied at Cairo University's School of Theology and later earned a Doctorate in Tafsir (quranic interpretation) from Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Soon after leaving university, Abdel-Rahman began preaching against the secular regime of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.^[2] Abdel-Rahman became one of the most prominent and outspoken Muslim clerics to denounce Egypt’s secularism.^{[citation needed]}

Family

Omar Abdel-Rahman had two wives, who bore him 10 children: Aisha Hassan Gouda (7 sons), and Aisha Zohdi (3 children).^[3] His sons include Ahmed, Mohammed and Asim.^[4] Ahmed was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2011.^[5]^[6] Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003. He was later extradited to Egypt and released in 2010.^[7] Asim was a close associate of Osama bin Laden following the September 11th attacks.^[8]

Imprisonment in Egypt

During the 1970s, Abdel-Rahman developed close ties with two of Egypt’s most militant organizations, Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya ("The Islamic Group"). By the 1980s, he had emerged as the leader of Al-jama'a al-Islamiyya, although he was still revered by followers of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which at the time was being led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, later to become an Al-Qaeda principal. Abdel-Rahman spent three years in Egyptian jails while awaiting trial on charges of issuing a fatwa resulting in the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat by Egyptian Islamic Jihad.^[9]

Afghan mujaheddin

Although Abdel-Rahman was not convicted of conspiracy in the Sadat assassination, he was expelled from Egypt following his acquittal. He made his way to Afghanistan in the mid-1980s, where he contacted his former professor, Abdullah Azzam, co-founder of Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK) along with Osama bin Laden. Abdel-Rahman built a strong rapport with bin Laden during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and, following Azzam’s murder in 1989, he assumed control of the international jihadist arm of MAK/Al Qaeda.^{[citation needed]}

In July 1990, Abdel-Rahman traveled to New York City to gain control of MAK’s financial and organizational infrastructure in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Activities in the US

If those who have the right to have something are terrorists, then we are terrorists, and we welcome being terrorists ... the Quran makes it, terrorism, among the means to perform jihad in the sake of Allah, which is to terrorise the enemies of God
— Omar Abdel-Rahman, 1993^[10]

Abdel-Rahman was issued a tourist visa to visit the United States by the consul of the United States Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, despite his name being listed on a U.S. State Department terrorist watch list. Abdel-Rahman entered the United States in July 1990 via Saudi Arabia, Peshawar, and Sudan. The State Department revoked his tourist visa on 17 November.^[11] Despite this, in April 1991, he obtained a green card from the Immigration and Naturalization Service office in Newark, New Jersey. After leaving the U.S. to go on an overseas trip, he tried to re-enter the U.S. in August 1991. At that point, U.S. officials recognized that he was on the lookout list, and began the procedure to revoke his permanent resident status. The U.S. government still allowed him to enter the country, as he had the right to appeal the decision to revoke his residency status. Abdel-Rahman failed to appeal the decision, and on 6 March 1992, the U.S. government revoked his green card. He then requested political asylum. A hearing on that matter was held on 20 January 1993.^[12] It was later revealed that Abdel-Rahman was given most of his visa approvals by the CIA.^[13]Egyptian officials have testified that the CIA was actively assisting him in entering the US.^[14]

Abdel-Rahman traveled widely in the United States and Canada. Despite U.S. support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, Abdel-Rahman was deeply anti-American, and spoke out against the country. He issued a fatwa in the US that declared it lawful to rob banks and kill Jews in the US. His sermons condemned Americans as the "descendants of apes and pigs who have been feeding from the dining tables of the Zionists, Communists, and colonialists".^[15] He called on Muslims to assail the West, "cut the transportation of their countries, tear it apart, destroy their economy, burn their companies, eliminate their interests, sink their ships, shoot down their planes, kill them on the sea, air, or land".^[16]

Preaching at three mosques in the New York City area, Abdel-Rahman was soon surrounded by a core group of devoted followers that included persons who would soon be responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which took place five weeks into the Bill Clinton administration. One of Abdel-Rahman's followers, El Sayyid Nosair, was linked to the 1990 Manhattan assassination of Israeli nationalist Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Jewish Defense League.

Steven Emerson's 1994 television documentary Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America contains a video of Abdel-Rahman in Detroit, calling for jihad against the "infidel".^[17]

In 1993, Egypt suffered a spate of terrorist attacks. In that year, over 1,100 people in Egypt were either killed or wounded due to terrorist attack. By comparison, the number for the prior year was 322.^[18] According to The New York Times, these attacks had "shaken the Egyptian Government".^[19]

Abdel-Rahman was the spiritual leader of Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, which included the terrorists who were conducting these attacks.^[19] At that time, he was recording his sermons in Brooklyn on cassette tapes and sending them to Egypt. These tapes were duplicated and given to tens of thousands of followers in Cairo. In these tapes, Abdel-Rahman called for the murder of infidels, for the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, and for Egypt to become a pure Islamic state.^[19]

Mamdouh Beltagui, the head of the state information service in Egypt, told The New York Times in the early 1990s, "Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman uses New York as a base. He raises funds and sends money back to Egypt with couriers. He passes on messages to his followers, giving orders about what they should do next and who they should target. We do not understand why the U.S. authorities have allowed him to enter the country."^[19]

The New York Times compared him to the ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.^[19] In 1979, Khomeini was in Paris when he helped to oust the Shah of Iran. He too sent recordings of his sermons to his countrymen.^[20]

Arrest, conviction and death

After the first World Trade Center bombing in February 1993, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began to investigate Abdel-Rahman and his followers more closely. An Egyptian informant wearing a listening device for the FBI managed to record Abdel-Rahman saying he preferred attacks be concentrated on US military targets, but also stating acts of violence against civilian targets were not illicit.^[21] The most startling plan, the government charged, was to set off five bombs in 10 minutes, blowing up the United Nations, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and a federal building housing the FBI.^[22] Government prosecutors showed videotapes of the defendants mixing bomb ingredients in a garage before their arrest in 1993.^[23] Abdel-Rahman was arrested on 24 June 1993, along with nine of his followers.^[24] On 1 October 1995, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy, solicitation to murder Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, conspiracy to murder President Mubarak, solicitation to attack a U.S. military installation, and conspiracy to conduct bombings; in 1996 he was sentenced to life in solitary confinement without parole.^[25]^[26]

Abdel-Rahman began serving his life sentence at the FMC Rochester in Minnesota.^[27] After the September 11 attacks, he was transferred to the FMC Butner in North Carolina.^[28] He died there on 18 February 2017 at the age of 78 due to complications from diabetes and coronary arterial disease.^[29]

It was arranged for the U.S. to transport his body to Egypt for his funeral.^[30] His funeral was mentioned in an article in the publication Al-Masra by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.^[31]^[32]^[33]

Efforts for release

In a speech to supporters in Cairo's Tahrir Square on 30 June 2012, Mohamed Morsi briefly mentioned that he would work to free Omar Abdel-Rahman, along with other Egyptians who were arrested during the revolution.^[34] A Brotherhood spokesperson later said that the extradition was for humanitarian reasons and that Morsi didn't intend to overturn Abdel-Rahman's criminal convictions.^[35]

During the 2013 In Aménas hostage crisis, a Mauritanian news organization reported that the kidnappers had offered to swap American hostages in Algeria for the release of Abdel-Rahman and Aafia Siddiqui.^[36] US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stated that the United States would not negotiate with the terrorists.^[37]

Legacy

Abdel-Rahman’s imprisonment became a rallying point for Islamic militants around the world, including Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden [d.2011].^[38] In 1997, members of his group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya conducted two attacks against European visitors to Egypt, including the massacre of 58 tourists at Deir el-Bahri in Luxor. In addition to killing women and children, the attackers mutilated a number of bodies and distributed leaflets throughout the scene demanding Abdel-Rahman’s release.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, members of Abdel-Rahman’s legal team, including lawyer Lynne Stewart, were convicted of facilitating communication between Abdel-Rahman and members of the terrorist organization Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya in Egypt. They received long federal prison sentences, based on their violated obligation to keep Abdel-Rahman incommunicado while providing him legal counsel.

Qasim al Raymi, leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, eulogized Abdul Rahman on March 6.^[39] His eulogy was critical of the USA.

References

^ Perez, Richard (2 October 1995). "A Gamble Pays Off as the Prosecution Uses an Obscure 19th-Century Law". New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
^ Atkins, Stephen E. (2008). The 9/11 Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-275-99432-7.
^ "Omar Abdel-Rahman". Nndb. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
^ "Bin Laden - In der Trutzburg des sanften Scheichs - Politik". Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
^ Bill Roggio (15 October 2011). "Blind Sheikh's son killed in US airstrike in Afghanistan". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
^ Bill Roggio (28 October 2012). "Zawahiri notes death of Blind Sheikh's son 'on the pure soil of Khorasan' - Threat Matrix". Longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 20 June 2014..
^ David Wroe. "Jihadist believes bin Laden inspired Arab Spring confidence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
^ Sued Deutsche, In der Trutzburg des sanften Scheichs, 23 September 2001.
^ Africa 2012 - J. Tyler Dickovick. Books. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
^ Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002
^ McKinley, James (16 December 1990). "Islamic Leader on U.S. Terrorist List Is in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ Jehl, Douglas (7 March 1993). "Rahman Errors Admitted". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
^ Gilles Kepel, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam (Harvard University Press, 2002), p.300-304
^ Douglas Jehl, "C.I.A. Officers Played Role In Sheik Visas" The New York Times, 22 July 1993
^ Kohlmann, Evan F., Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe, Berg Publishers, 25 November 2004, p. 26
^ Kohlmann, Evan F., Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe, p. 185
^ Goodman, Walter (21 November 1994). "Goodman, Walter, "Television Review; In 'Jihad in America,' Food for Uneasiness,"". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
^ Weisser, Rebecca (30 October 2006). "Hilali's radical mentor". The Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Hedges, Chris (7 January 1993). "A Cry of Islamic Fury Tape in Brooklyn for Cairo". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ "The Ayatullah's Hit Parade". Time Magazine. 12 February 1979. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ Fried, Joseph P.[1] 2 October 1995 New York Times Page 2: But his tapes made crucial points against Mr. Abdel Rahman. In one, Mr. Salem says one of the conspirators has proposed bombing the United Nations headquarters, and asks, "Is this considered licit or illicit?" "It is not illicit," Mr. Abdel Rahman replies, according to a transcript, "however, will be bad for Muslims." He goes on to tell Mr. Salem to find a way instead to "inflict damage on the American Army itself."
^ Fried, Joseph P. (2 October 1995). "The Terror Conspiracy - The Overview - Sheik and 9 Followers Guilty of a Conspiracy of Terrorism - NYTimes.com". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2016. The centerpiece of the conspiracy, according to prosecutors who had no actual explosion to support their case and who relied heavily on secretly made tapes and a shady informer, was to be a cataclysmic "day of terror": five bombs that were to blow up the United Nations headquarters, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and 26 Federal Plaza, the Government's main office building in New York.
^ Fried, Joseph P.[2] 2 October 1995 New York Times Page 2: In addition, videotapes showed four defendants mixing diesel oil and fertilizer at a Queens garage for the intended bombs. The garage, which the suspects called a safe house, had actually been fitted out by the Government with hidden cameras and microphones for a sting operation.
^ "Sedition". Law.jrank. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
^ "Terrorism in the United States". FAS. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
^ Atkins, Stephen E. (2008). The 9/11 Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-275-99431-0.
^ "Blind Sheik – Former Rochester Federal Prison Inmate – Has Died". KROC (AM). Retrieved 18 February 2017.
^ "Omar Ahmad Rahman." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on 21 May 2010.
^ Preston, Julia (18 February 2017). "Omar Abdel Rahman, Blind Cleric Linked to World Trade Center Bombing, Dies at 78". New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
^ Reuters (22 February 2017). "Thousands Mourn 'Blind Sheikh' Convicted In 1993 World Trade Center Bombing". WORLDPOST. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^ "#YEMEN Pro-#AQAP's #AlMasra Newspaper Slams #WhiteHouse Chief Strategist #SteveBannon. #TerrorMonitor". Twitter. Terrormonitor.org. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ Kendall, Elisabeth (28 February 2017). Twitter https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/836606118403141632. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ "New issue of Anṣār al-Sharī'ah in the Arabian Peninsula's newspaper: "al-Masrā #41"". Jihadology. 27 February 2017.
^ "Egypt's Morsi at Tahrir Square: Power of the people is above all" Haaretz, 30 June 2012.
^ "Morsi Says He Will Work for Release of Sheik Jailed in U.S." The New York Times, 29 June 2012.
^ "Desert kidnappers offer to swap U.S. hostages for jailed militants". Reuters. 18 January 2013.
^ "State Department: US won't negotiate with terrorists still holding US hostages in Algeria". Fox News. 18 January 2013.
^ McCarthy, Andrew (18 February 2017). "Omar Abdel Rahman, the 'Blind Sheikh,' Is Dead". National Review. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
^ "Gulf of Aden Security Review: A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity". Critical Threats. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017. AQAP's emir, Qasim al Raymi, released an eleven-minute speech eulogizing the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdul Rahman on March 6. Abdul Rahman died on February 19 of natural causes in a North Carolina prison where he had been sentenced for his role as a key planner of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Al Raymi used the speech to criticize the United States. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

Omar Abdel-Rahman collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Paul DeRienzo's jail house interview with Rahman, September 1994
Civil rights attorney convicted in terror trial, CNN, 14 February 2005
Bin Laden’s 1996 Fatwa PBS.Org
Smuggling The Sheikh's Messages Smoking Gun archive.
Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman (The Blind Sheikh) Releases Letter from Prison Analysis from the SITE Institute.
MIPT Biography
http://jihadology.net/category/individuals/ideologues/umar-abd-al-ra%e1%b8%a5man/

[1] Perez, Richard (2 October 1995). "A Gamble Pays Off as the Prosecution Uses an Obscure 19th-Century Law". New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

[2] Atkins, Stephen E. (2008). The 9/11 Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-275-99432-7.

[3] "Omar Abdel-Rahman". Nndb. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

[4] "Bin Laden - In der Trutzburg des sanften Scheichs - Politik". Sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved 20 June 2014.

[5] Bill Roggio (15 October 2011). "Blind Sheikh's son killed in US airstrike in Afghanistan". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2014.

[6] Bill Roggio (28 October 2012). "Zawahiri notes death of Blind Sheikh's son 'on the pure soil of Khorasan' - Threat Matrix". Longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 20 June 2014..

[7] David Wroe. "Jihadist believes bin Laden inspired Arab Spring confidence". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2014.

[8] Sued Deutsche, In der Trutzburg des sanften Scheichs, 23 September 2001.

[9] Africa 2012 - J. Tyler Dickovick. Books. Retrieved 24 December 2012.

[sacredcows-10] Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002

[nsec-11] McKinley, James (16 December 1990). "Islamic Leader on U.S. Terrorist List Is in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[nthi-12] Jehl, Douglas (7 March 1993). "Rahman Errors Admitted". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2012.

[13] Gilles Kepel, Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam (Harvard University Press, 2002), p.300-304

[14] Douglas Jehl, "C.I.A. Officers Played Role In Sheik Visas" The New York Times, 22 July 1993

[15] Kohlmann, Evan F., Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe, Berg Publishers, 25 November 2004, p. 26

[16] Kohlmann, Evan F., Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe, p. 185

[17] Goodman, Walter (21 November 1994). "Goodman, Walter, "Television Review; In 'Jihad in America,' Food for Uneasiness,"". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 January 2010.

[afir-18] Weisser, Rebecca (30 October 2006). "Hilali's radical mentor". The Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[nfir-19] Hedges, Chris (7 January 1993). "A Cry of Islamic Fury Tape in Brooklyn for Cairo". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[tfir-20] "The Ayatullah's Hit Parade". Time Magazine. 12 February 1979. Retrieved 16 September 2012.

[nyt95page2a-21] Fried, Joseph P.[1] 2 October 1995 New York Times Page 2: But his tapes made crucial points against Mr. Abdel Rahman. In one, Mr. Salem says one of the conspirators has proposed bombing the United Nations headquarters, and asks, "Is this considered licit or illicit?" "It is not illicit," Mr. Abdel Rahman replies, according to a transcript, "however, will be bad for Muslims." He goes on to tell Mr. Salem to find a way instead to "inflict damage on the American Army itself."

[nyt95page1-22] Fried, Joseph P. (2 October 1995). "The Terror Conspiracy - The Overview - Sheik and 9 Followers Guilty of a Conspiracy of Terrorism - NYTimes.com". New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2016. The centerpiece of the conspiracy, according to prosecutors who had no actual explosion to support their case and who relied heavily on secretly made tapes and a shady informer, was to be a cataclysmic "day of terror": five bombs that were to blow up the United Nations headquarters, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and 26 Federal Plaza, the Government's main office building in New York.

[nyt95page2-23] Fried, Joseph P.[2] 2 October 1995 New York Times Page 2: In addition, videotapes showed four defendants mixing diesel oil and fertilizer at a Queens garage for the intended bombs. The garage, which the suspects called a safe house, had actually been fitted out by the Government with hidden cameras and microphones for a sting operation.

[24] "Sedition". Law.jrank. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

[25] "Terrorism in the United States". FAS. Retrieved 8 April 2010.

[26] Atkins, Stephen E. (2008). The 9/11 Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-275-99431-0.

[27] "Blind Sheik – Former Rochester Federal Prison Inmate – Has Died". KROC (AM). Retrieved 18 February 2017.

[28] "Omar Ahmad Rahman." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on 21 May 2010.

[29] Preston, Julia (18 February 2017). "Omar Abdel Rahman, Blind Cleric Linked to World Trade Center Bombing, Dies at 78". New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2017.

[30] Reuters (22 February 2017). "Thousands Mourn 'Blind Sheikh' Convicted In 1993 World Trade Center Bombing". WORLDPOST. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)

[31] "#YEMEN Pro-#AQAP's #AlMasra Newspaper Slams #WhiteHouse Chief Strategist #SteveBannon. #TerrorMonitor". Twitter. Terrormonitor.org. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[32] Kendall, Elisabeth (28 February 2017). Twitter https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/836606118403141632. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[33] "New issue of Anṣār al-Sharī'ah in the Arabian Peninsula's newspaper: "al-Masrā #41"". Jihadology. 27 February 2017.

[34] "Egypt's Morsi at Tahrir Square: Power of the people is above all" Haaretz, 30 June 2012.

[35] "Morsi Says He Will Work for Release of Sheik Jailed in U.S." The New York Times, 29 June 2012.

[36] "Desert kidnappers offer to swap U.S. hostages for jailed militants". Reuters. 18 January 2013.

[37] "State Department: US won't negotiate with terrorists still holding US hostages in Algeria". Fox News. 18 January 2013.

[McCarthyDead-38] McCarthy, Andrew (18 February 2017). "Omar Abdel Rahman, the 'Blind Sheikh,' Is Dead". National Review. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

[CThreats2017-03-06-39] "Gulf of Aden Security Review: A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity". Critical Threats. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017. AQAP's emir, Qasim al Raymi, released an eleven-minute speech eulogizing the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdul Rahman on March 6. Abdul Rahman died on February 19 of natural causes in a North Carolina prison where he had been sentenced for his role as a key planner of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Al Raymi used the speech to criticize the United States. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 Abdel-Rahman began serving his life sentence at the [[Federal Medical Center, Rochester|FMC Rochester]] in Minnesota.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[KROC (AM)]] |title=Blind Sheik – Former Rochester Federal Prison Inmate – Has Died |url=http://krocam.com/blind-sheik-former-rochester-federal-prison-inmate-has-died/ |accessdate=18 February 2017}}</ref> After the [[September 11 attacks]], he was transferred to the [[Federal Medical Center, Butner|FMC Butner]] in North Carolina.<ref>"[http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=omar&Middle=&LastName=rahman&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0 Omar Ahmad Rahman]." [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]. Retrieved on 21 May 2010.</ref> He died there on 18 February 2017 at the age of 78 due to complications from diabetes and coronary arterial disease.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Preston|first1=Julia|title=Omar Abdel Rahman, Blind Cleric Linked to World Trade Center Bombing, Dies at 78|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/world/middleeast/omar-abdel-rahman-dead.html|accessdate=18 February 2017|work=New York Times|date=18 February 2017}}</ref>
+It was arranged for the U.S. to transport his body to Egypt for his funeral.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |author=Reuters |date=22 February 2017 |title=Thousands Mourn ‘Blind Sheikh’ Convicted In 1993 World Trade Center Bombing |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/blind-sheikh-death-mourners_us_58adecdbe4b01406012f4589? |newspaper=WORLDPOST |location= |accessdate=}}</ref> His funeral was mentioned in an article in the publication Al-Masra by the terrorist group [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/836282545402593284 |title=#YEMEN Pro-#AQAP's #AlMasra Newspaper Slams #WhiteHouse Chief Strategist #SteveBannon. #TerrorMonitor |last=|first=|date=27 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=Terrormonitor.org |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/836606118403141632 |title= |last=Kendall |first=Elisabeth |date=28 Feb 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/27/new-issue-of-an%e1%b9%a3ar-al-shariah-in-the-arabian-peninsulas-newspaper-al-masra-41/ |title=New issue of Anṣār al-Sharī’ah in the Arabian Peninsula’s newspaper: "al-Masrā #41" |last= |first= |date=February 27, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
-Omar Abdel-Rahman's death was mentioned by [[Moussa al-Omar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/MousaAlomar/status/833015438397341701 |title=#وفاة_الشيخ_عمر_عبدالرحمن في سجنه بأمريكا . |last=العمر|first=موسى|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref>
-[[Tariq Abdelhaleem]] posted his condolences to Omar Abdel-Rahman upon his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/DMTAH/status/832981643505836032 |title=رحم الله شهيد الحق الشيخ الجليل عمر عبد الرحمن، الذى مات في سجن صليبي نجس، بعد سجن عشرين عاما. أسكنه الله فسيح جناته ودمر الصليبيين تدميرا |last=عبد الحليم |first=طارق |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/DMTAH/status/832990356937510912 |title=آل سلول يفرضون مكوسا جديدة على المقيمين هناك على الرأس لا يتحملها راتب، ليجبوا أموالا بحجة الميزانية ..لا تكفي بطونهم وفروجهم بلايين النفط! |last=عبد الحليم |first=طارق |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/DMTAH/status/833036439818485761 |title=عزاؤنا إلى أهل الشيخ الجليل عمر عبد الرحمن ولعل الله أن يتزّل عليهم صبرا وقوة، ففاجعتهم فادجة أمة لا عائلة. اللهم زلزل أقدام من حبسه ظلما |last=عبد الحليم |first=طارق |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref>
-[[Hani al-Sibai]] wrote his condolences on Omar Abdel-Rahman upon his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/wdRadio1/status/833112377323376641 |title=#بيان_هام حياته ومماته حجة على الخوالف من العلماء! وفاة الشيخ د. #عمر_عبدالرحمن بسجن أمريكي! الشيخ د. هاني السباعي justpaste.it/13nko |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=راديو وُدّ |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ar-ar.facebook.com/mohibidrhani/photos/a.297278376999540.67815.297266940334017/1321976511196383/?type=3 |title=صفحة محبى الشيخ الدكتور هانى السباعى (مدير مركز المقريزى بلندن) |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Facebook|publisher=|deadurl=no |accessdate=}}</ref> Hani al-Sibai created a video of himself praising Omar Abdel-Rahman upon his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/wdRadio1/status/835405855268929536 |title=#جديد خطبة الجمعة خاصة: فاة شيخ المجاهدين الدكتور #عمر_عبدالرحمن لفضيلة الشيخ د. هاني السباعي |last=|first=|date=25 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=راديو وُدّ |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people= |date=25 February 2017 |year= |title= خطبة خاصة: وفاة شيخ المجاهدين الدكتور عمر عبد الرحمن &#124; الشيخ هاني السباعي |trans-title= |medium= |language= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y45GJRto2I |accessdate= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=الناشر للعلم |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |ref=}}</ref>
-Said Abbasy, an Islamist, posted his wailing over Omar Badel Rahman's death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/EricTrager18/status/833679472658374657 |title= |last=Trager|first=Eric|date=20 Feb 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref>
-[[Wagdy Ghoneim]] posted a video of his condolences on Omar Abdel-Rahman upon his death.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=وجدي غنيم |date=19 February 2017 |year= |title= وجدى غنيم ارتقاء شهيد كلمة الحق فضيلة الشيخ العالم عمر عبد الرحمن |trans-title= |medium= |language= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO0DtqYmJ-Y |accessdate= |format= |time= |location= |publisher=وجدي غنيم |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |ref= }}</ref>
-Upon the death of Omar Abdel-Rahman condolences were given by [[Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/18/new-release-from-shaykh-abu-mu%e1%b8%a5ammad-al-maqdisi-shaykh-umar-abd-al-ra%e1%b8%a5man-died-today-alone-in-prison/ |title=New release from Shaykh Abū Muḥammad al-Maqdisī: “Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Raḥman Died Today Alone in Prison”|last= |first= |date=February 18, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref>
-[[Tahrir al-Sham]] leader Abu Al-Abed Ashida posted his condolences to Omar Abdel-Rahman upon his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/ShAbed2016/status/832976746878271489 |title=إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون اللهم اغفر وارحم الشيخ عمر عبد الرحمن الذي مات في سجون أمريكا 28 سنة في السجن اللهم عليك بأمريكا وأخواتها واتباعها |last=أشدآء|first=أبو العبد|date=27 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=28 February 2017}}</ref>
-The death of Omar Abdel-Rahman, a terrorist, received condolences from the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/EricTrager18/status/833032697866047489 |title=Muslim Brotherhood mourns convicted terrorist Omar Abdel Rahman, asks god to place him among prophets and saints: www.facebook.com/MBSMOfficial/posts/1774443302882495:0 |last=Trager |first=Eric |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/MBSMOfficial/posts/1774443302882495:0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219044357/https://www.facebook.com/MBSMOfficial/posts/1774443302882495:0 |dead-url=yes |archive-date=2017-02-19 |title=MBSMOfficial |last= |first= |date= |website=Facebook|publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}} </ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/frankgaffney/status/835958484210442240 |title=#MuslimBrotherhood red flags. bit.ly/2lKqHtb - Why would so called "moderates" mourn the death of a terrorist? |last=Gaffney |first=Frank |date=26 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.investigativeproject.org/5802/moderate-muslim-brotherhood-mourns-terrorist-death?utm_content=buffer127e8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer |title="Moderate" Muslim Brotherhood Mourns Terrorist's Death |last=Rossomando |first=John |date=21 February 2017 |work=IPT News |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref> Mekameleen TV mounted his death and claimed it was "martyrdom". Makameleen supports the Brotherhood<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/TheBigPharaoh/status/832976802029109251 |title=Pro-Brotherhood channel says Omar Abdel Rahman was "martyred" in a US jail. |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mekameleentv/status/833066144189837313 |title=محمد ناصر ينعي الشيخ الشهيد عمر عبدالرحمن الذي استشهد في سجون أمريكا "ارتاح من الظلم وراح للحكم العدل" |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=قناة مكملين الفضائية |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mekameleentv/status/832974342258556929 |title=#عاجل &#124; طبقًا لابنته .. استشهاد الشيخ "عمر عبد الرحمن" في معتقله بـ #أمريكا |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=قناة مكملين الفضائية |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref> Condolences were sent upon Omar Abdel-Rahman's death by the website of the Muslim Brotherhood's "[[Freedom and Justice Party]]" in Egypt.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/basildabh/status/833044049791705089 |title=MB statement mourning the death of the "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted of plotting terror attacks (Ar) fj-p.com/Our_news_Details.aspx?News_ID=109684 |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://fj-p.com/Our_news_Details.aspx?News_ID=109684 |title= الإخوان المسلمون ينعون للأمة الشيخ عمر عبدالرحمن |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=بوابة الحرية والعدالة |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/mwhanna1/status/833053473256058880 |title=Always instructive to see what the MB really believes. Designation would be counterproductive but this is who these guys are. |last=Hanna |first=Michael |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/TheBigPharaoh/status/833057831825842176 |title=Can't get any dumber. MB released statement mourning Omar Abdel Rahman in t/middle of t/terror designation debate! |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref> The sheikh's death was met with sorrow on the internet by Muslim Brotherhood members.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/TheBigPharaoh/status/833056619294498817 |title=Many MB on social media are mourning t/death of t/blind sheikh. Thin line between MB and terrorism, designation is still counterproductive |last= |first= |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref>
-Omar Abdel-Rahman's death received condolences from terrorists.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/responses-jihadi-and-other-circles-death-blind-sheikh-omar-abd-al-rahman |title=Responses In Jihadi And Other Circles To Death Of 'Blind Sheikh' 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman |last=|first= |date=19 February 2017 |website=MEMRI |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/reports/jihad-and-terrorism-threat-monitor-jttm-weekend-summary-236 |title= Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary |last= |first= |date=24 February 2017 |number=Special Announcements No.523 |website=MEMRI |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/SimNasr/status/834136749198737408 |title=#AlQaeda fait l'éloge funèbre d'Omar Abdel Rahman "qui a rendu illicite de faire la prière funèbre de Gamal Abdel Nasser" & apl à le venger |last=Nasr |first=Wassim |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=28 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/834143482159702017 |title=#Somalie communiqué du commandement central du Harkat al-#Shabaab concernant la mort d'Omar Abdel Rahman via al-Kataib |last= |first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=28 February 2017}}</ref> Omar Abdel-Rahman's death received condolences from [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]] and [[Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/833335140323557376 |title=Communiqué commum d'#AQMI et d'#AQPA condoleances pour la mort de d'Omar Abdel Rahman |last= |first= |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/833385642042089473 |title=#AQAP & #AQIM Releases Joint Eulogy For The Omar Abdel-Rahman "Blind Sheikh", Threatens #USA. #TerrorMonitor |last= |first= |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/aqim-aqap-urge-muslims-avenge-death-blind-sheikh-omar-abd-al-rahman |title=AQIM, AQAP Urge Muslims To Avenge Death Of 'Blind Sheikh' 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman |last= |first= |date=20 February 2017 |website=MEMRI |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/19/new-statement-from-al-qaidah-in-the-arabian-peninsula-and-the-islamic-maghrib-condolences-to-the-islamic-nation-on-the-death-of-shaykh-umar-abd-al-ra%e1%b8%a5man-in-the-prison-of-the-c/ |title=New statement from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic Maghrib: “Condolences to the Islamic Nation on the Death of Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Raḥman in the Prison of the Crusader America”|last= |first= |date=February 19, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref> Omar Abdel-Rahman's death received condolences from the central Al-Qaeda terrorist group.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/834116098874281985 |title=#AQC al-#Sahab annonce un prochaine communiqué du Commandement Général d'#AQ concernant la mort d'Omar Abdel Rahman |last= |first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/834132465723777025 |title=#AQC annonce avoir essayé d'echanger plusieurs fois Omar Abdel Rahman contre des otages |last= |first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/834132732414394369 |title=#LT et appelle 'à terroriser les US et leurs intérêts [...] ne leur laissant aucun répit' |last= |first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="Terrormonitor.org">{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/835382472841953281 |title=#AlQaeda Offers Eulogy For "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel-Rahman, Praising His Works. #TerrorMonitor |last= |first= |date=24 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher= Terrormonitor.org |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/21/new-statement-from-al-qaidahs-general-command-mountain-that-exhale-into-the-spirit-regarding-the-passed-away-learned-mujahid-shaykh-umar-abd-al-ra%e1%b8%a5man/ |title=New statement from al-Qā’idah’s General Command: "Mountain That Exhale Into the Spirit: Regarding the Passed Away Learned Mujāhid Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Raḥman"|last= |first= |date=February 21, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref> Omar Abdel-Rahman's death received condolences from [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/al-shabab-al-mujahideen-issues-statement-eulogizing-blind-sheikh-omar-abd-al-rahman |title=Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Issues Statement Eulogizing 'Blind Sheikh' 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman |last= |first= |date=22 February 2017 |website=MEMRI |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/834187857539526656 |title=#SOMALIA #AlShabaab Releases Statement Eulogizing 'Blind Sheikh' Omar Abdul Rahman. #TerrorMonitor |last= |first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher= Terrormonitor.org |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="Terrormonitor.org"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/834338336105967616 |title=#SOMALIA #AlShabaab Releases Statement Eulogizing 'Blind Sheikh' Omar Abdul Rahman. #TerrorMonitor |last= |first= |date=22 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher= Terrormonitor.org |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/21/new-statement-from-%e1%b8%a5arakat-al-shabab-al-mujahidin-the-crown-of-the-scholars-condolences-to-the-islamic-nation-for-the-death-of-shaykh-umar-abd-al-ra%e1%b8%a5man-in-the-crusader-america/ |title=New statement from Ḥarakat al-Shabāb al-Mujāhidīn: "The Crown of the Scholars: Condolences to the Islamic Nation for the Death of Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd al-Raḥman in the Crusader American Prisons"|last= |first= |date=February 21, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref>
-Omar Abdel-Rahman had composed a statement disseminated by Al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/thomasjoscelyn/status/833497996864139265 |title=For about 20 years al Qaeda distributed a version of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman's final will. He finally died.  |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/thomasjoscelyn/status/833370548755427328 |title=Al Qaeda released the last "will" of Omar Abdel Rahman in which he calls on his brothers to exact "severe and fierce revenge" on his behalf. |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/thomasjoscelyn/status/832994664051515392 |title=|last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=18 Feb 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=}}</ref> The statement called for mass murder and terrorism.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/LongWarJournal/status/833481335486423041 |title=Al Qaeda often agitated for Omar Abdel Rahman's release from US prison - www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/02/al-qaeda-calls-for-revenge-after-omar-abdel-rahman-dies-in-us-prison.php |last=|first=|date=19 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=Long War Journal |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/02/al-qaeda-calls-for-revenge-after-omar-abdel-rahman-dies-in-us-prison.php |title= Al Qaeda often agitated for Omar Abdel Rahman’s release from US prison |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=19 February 2017 |website=Long War Journal|publisher=Foundation for Defense of Democracies |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/al-qaeda-urges-muslim-youths-kill-americans-and-destroy-us-interests-avenge-death-blind-sheikh |title=Al-Qaeda Urges Muslim Youths To Kill Americans And Destroy U.S. Interests To Avenge Death Of 'Blind Sheikh' Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman |last=|first= |date=21 February 2017 |website=MEMRI |publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/8343434404355112986 |title=Terror Monitor |last= |first= |date=22 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher= Terrormonitor.org |accessdate= |quote=}} {{dead link|date=February 2017 |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
-A tweet dedicated to Omar Abdel-Rahman was posted by Turkish Medya Times reporter Hayati Sedef.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/hayatisedef/status/833066625104482304 |title=Şeyh Ömer Abdurrahman'a ithaf |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref>
-[[Al Jazeera]] was accused of defending Omar Abdel-Rahman over the [[1993 World Trade Center bombing]] by [[Oren Kessler]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/OrenKessler/status/833128302751653889 |title=AJ's terror apologetics, usually just in Arabic, apparent here:<br/>1) Not "accused" but convicted<br/>2) WTH is this "killed him slowly" nonsense |last=Kessler |first=Oren |date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/AJENews/status/833107606608691202 |title=As Egyptian accused of plotting 1993 World Trade Center bombing dies his son tells Al Jazeera US 'killed him slowly' aje.io/hkgc  |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=Al Jazeera News |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref> Arab and westerners received different messages from news organizations in [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|the Gulf states]]. It was claimed that he "defended human rights"and "rejected tyranny" according to Aljazeera as they praised him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2017/02/tributes-for-umar-abdul-raman-by-gulf.html |title= Tributes for `Umar `Abdul-Raman by Gulf regimes |last=AbuKhalil|first=As'ad|date=20 February 2017 |website=The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب|publisher= |accessdate= |quote=}}</ref>
-Afghanistan era photos of Omar Abdel-Rahman were released.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/VegetaMoustache/status/833073423190544390 |title=images d'archives d'Omar Abdel Rahman en #Afghanistan |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Alsahmmedia91/status/833166760249540609 |title=Şehid Şeyh Ömer Abdurrahman'ın Afganistan'da çekilmiş eski Resimleri - Allah ABD'NİN tez zamanda Yıkılışını belasını versin.. |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref> A photo of [[Abdullah Azzam]] and Omar Abdel-Rahman in the 80s-90s was released.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Alsahmmedia91/status/833032947053768705 |title=80li/90lı yıllarda Cihad dendiğinde akla ilk gelen isimlerdi Şeyh Ömer Abdurrahmân ve Şeyh Abdullah 'Azzâm. |last=|first=|date=18 February 2017 |website=Twitter |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref>
-Condolences were made by Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ismail |first1=Amina |last2=Gaballa |first2=Arwa |date=22 February 2017 |title=Thousands mourn 'blind sheikh' convicted in 1993 World Trade Center bombing |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tradecenter-rahman-funeral-idUSKBN1612DO |newspaper=Reuters |location=Al-GAMALIYA, Egypt |accessdate=}}</ref>
-It was arranged for the U.S.  to transport his body to Egypt for his funeral.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |author=Reuters |date=22 February 2017 |title=Thousands Mourn ‘Blind Sheikh’ Convicted In 1993 World Trade Center Bombing |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/blind-sheikh-death-mourners_us_58adecdbe4b01406012f4589? |newspaper=WORLDPOST |location= |accessdate=}}</ref> His funeral was mentioned in an article in the publication Al-Masra by the terrorist group [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/836282545402593284 |title=#YEMEN Pro-#AQAP's #AlMasra Newspaper Slams #WhiteHouse Chief Strategist #SteveBannon. #TerrorMonitor |last=|first=|date=27 February 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=Terrormonitor.org |deadurl=no |accessdate=27 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/836606118403141632 |title= |last=Kendall |first=Elisabeth |date=28 Feb 2017 |website=Twitter |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jihadology.net/2017/02/27/new-issue-of-an%e1%b9%a3ar-al-shariah-in-the-arabian-peninsulas-newspaper-al-masra-41/ |title=New issue of Anṣār al-Sharī’ah in the Arabian Peninsula’s newspaper: "al-Masrā #41" |last= |first= |date=February 27, 2017 |website=Jihadology |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
 ==Efforts for release==

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