Family of 'Blind Sheikh' Omar Abdel-Rahman to hold his funeral in Egypt's Daqahliya

The family of the spiritual leader of Egypt's Gamaa Al-Islamiya group Omar Abdel-Rahman arrived at Cairo International Airport on Wednesday to receive his body, in preparation for the sheikh's funeral at his birthplace in Daqahliya governorate.   Sources at the airport said special security procedures were put in place to receive the body of the 79-year-old known as the "Blind Sheikh."   Abdel-Rahman died on Saturday while serving a life sentence in a United States prison for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York, in which six people were killed and hundreds injured when a truck bomb detonated in the building's garage.   He was also convicted of plotting to bomb other New York targets, including the United Nations headquarters, and assassinate former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.    Abdel-Rahman’s family, supporters, and some Egyptian human rights organisations had demanded in recent years that he be returned to Egypt due to his deteriorating health.   Supporters also complained of strict special administrative measures that prohibited anyone, including his lawyers, from providing information to anyone outside the prison about his condition.    US officials have denied these charges, saying the sheikh received the medical attention he required.         Source: Ahram online