In a December 8, 2006 bulletin, the FBI alerted federal officials to the deteriorating health of al-Qaeda spiritual leader Omar Abdel-Rahman, known widely as the Blind Sheik. According to the report, Abdel-Rahman, who has long suffered from heart ailments and diabetes, was rushed from prison to a Missouri hospital on December 6 for an emergency blood transfusion that resulted in the discovery of a tumor on his liver. Although his condition has since stabilized, authorities have warned that the Blind Sheik?s eventual death could prompt an attack on the US .
A Spiritual Leader for Radical Muslims
Omar Abdel-Rahman is considered a spiritual leader by Islamic militants around the world due to his strong ties and influence with both al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad . A graduate of al-Azhar University in Cairo, Abdel-Rahman first gained recognition from authorities following the death of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, when he issued a statement to followers declaring it a sin to pray for the dead President whose beliefs and policies classified him as an infidel. In 1981, members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad assassinated then President Anwar Sadat , following a fatwa issued by Abdel-Rahman. The Blind Sheik gained further recognition in the late 1980s as the spiritual leader for Middle Eastern men who fought alongside the Afghanis to force the Soviet occupiers from the country. Despite his place on a list of suspected terrorists, Abdel-Rahman received a visa from the US Embassy in Sudan and entered the US in 1990. He later was charged with orchestrating the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and with planning to attack the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the Manhattan office of the FBI, and the United Nations? headquarters in New York. Abdel-Rahman was convicted in 1995 and sentenced to life in prison.
Calls for Retaliatory Strikes
Abdel-Rahman has called upon his followers to engage in retaliatory strikes against the US should he die in prison. At an al-Qaeda press conference in May 1998, members of the group distributed his last will and testament, which states ?If [the Americans] kill me, which they will certainly do?extract the most violent revenge, and remember your brother who spoke the truth? (source). Furthermore, during a September 2006 video commemorating the fifth anniversary of 9/11 , al-Qaeda Number Two Ayman al-Zawahri encouraged Muslims to capture western personnel in Iraq in an effort to exchange the hostages for Abdel-Rahman. The tape also urged followers to take revenge on the US for its imprisonment of the Blind Sheik. Additionally, the Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, released an audio message on September 28, 2006 reminding followers of the imprisoned Blind Sheik and urging the mujahideen in Iraq to capture ?Roman dogs? in an effort to force the release of Abdul-Rahman.
Conclusion
In July 2004, the Blind Sheik deliberately attempted to sabotage his health by refusing insulin medication and eating large amounts of candy to increase the seriousness of his diabetes in order to trigger attacks by his followers, who vowed to seek revenge on the US if he became ill in prison. Although there is no specific intelligence of an attack on the US, the impending death of Abdul-Rahman would serve to increase the threat of a strike either within the US or against US personnel overseas. The Blind Sheik will likely become a martyr, and his death will serve as inspiration for al-Qaeda and its affiliates to launch an attack against the US.
