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Terror Fears as Blind Sheikh Faces 'Medical Emergency'

December 14, 2006 11:31 AM

Blind_sheikh_sick_nr The imprisoned al Qaeda spiritual leader known as the "Blind Sheikh" suffered a "medical emergency" at the Springfield federal prison last week, and the FBI is warning his death could lead al Qaeda to launch terror attacks against the United States in reprisal.

According to an FBI bulletin, obtained by ABCNews.com, the 68-year-old Omar Abdel-Rahman began to spit up blood on Dec. 6, and was rushed from prison to the emergency room of St. John's Regional Hospital in Springfield, Mo. 

"He accepted a needed transfusion to replace lost blood. While he was under examination, medical authorities also discovered a tumor on his liver," the FBI situational awareness bulletin noted.

Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted in 1996 of conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks, has long suffered from diabetes and heart ailments and has spent much of his imprisonment at the Springfield Medical Center for federal prisoners.

The FBI bulletin reminded authorities that the sheikh had previously called for reprisal attacks in the case of his death in prison.

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The bulletin cited what it said was his last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda press conference in 1998.

"My Brothers...If they [the Americans] kill me, which they will certainly do – hold my funeral and send my corpse to my family, but do not let my blood be shed in vain. Rather, extract the most violent revenge, and remember your brother who spoke the truth and died for the will of God...The Mujahid Sheikh Omar Abdel al Rahman. In the name of God the kind and merciful."

The FBI bulletin also notes, "During Ramadan of this past year, al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI) released a videotape encouraging all Muslims in Iraq to exert efforts in capturing Western personnel so that they may be exchanged for the release of the Blind Sheik, suggesting that the Blind Sheikh remains a significant source of inspiration for AQ and their sympathizers."

Following emergency treatment at St. John's, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman is now back at the federal medical facility where he has been housed.

December 14, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (202)

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Soon to be a good Muslim.

Posted by: Awesome Bill | Dec 14, 2006 1:32:54 PM

Every American, no every NON MUslim should see the DVD Islam, what the West Needs to Know. Featuring interviews with noted Islam experts Robert Spencer, Serge Trifkovic, Bat Ye'or, Abdullah Al-Araby, and former terrorist Walid Shoebat, Islam: What the West Needs to Know examines the Koran, other Islamic texts, and the example of the prophet Muhammad to reveal that violence against non-Muslims is and has always been an integral aspect of Islam.

The Islam: What the West Needs to Know DVD reveals:


How warfare -- even terrorism -- in the name of Islam stems directly from the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad and the commands of the Koran


The truth about Muhammad: a warlord with the blood of thousands on his hands -- and how Muslims are expected to follow his example, as Christians are to follow Christ


How the Koran -- considered by Muslims to be dictated word for word by Allah -- explicitly commands violence against non-Muslims who resist conversion or surrender


"Jihad": an "inner struggle" over temptation, as some Muslim apologists claim? Not so: how the Koran makes it clear it denotes warfare against non-Muslims in order to bring about the universal rule of Islamic law


How violent death in jihad is, according to the Koran, the only assurance of salvation


How, following Muhammad's death, his 'rightly-guided' successors carried his wars to three continents -- fighting, enslaving, and massacring countless Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and others


How Islam, unlike Christianity, flourished and spread primarily through conquest, not peaceful evangelism


How the Crusades, mischaracterized as a violent assault on peaceful Muslims, were largely a belated response against centuries of Muslim conquest of Christian lands


The Islamic principle of 'religious deception' -- which enjoins Muslims to deceive non-Muslims to advance the cause of Islam -- and how Muslim groups use it today


How, throughout its history, Islam has never recognized a distinction between religious and civil authority


How Islamic "sharia" law governs every aspect of religious, political, and personal life -- amounting to a form of totalitarianism analogous to Communism

Posted by: EA | Dec 14, 2006 1:34:33 PM

What "brother" of his should we be sending the medical bills to? And why are my tax dollars and those of ALL my fellow Americans including those families that have made the ultimate sacrifice. I don't think our government should pass on one freakin aspirin to this animal. But then again, who asked us?

Posted by: Heidi | Dec 14, 2006 1:37:21 PM

Tough luck, we should have put a bullet in his head 10 years ago.

Posted by: Paddy | Dec 14, 2006 1:38:42 PM

If his god is kind and merciful, then why would his god's will be for the most violent revenge? He has no comprehension of what he's saying, and only ignorance could allow an individual to follow him.

Posted by: In_disbelief | Dec 14, 2006 1:40:10 PM

Just another idiot soon to be six feet under

Posted by: isbella | Dec 14, 2006 1:43:09 PM

Wait a sec... aren't terrorists supposed to welcome Death and the 72 virgins hiding in his pants?

I expect al'Qaeda will be sending us flowers.

Posted by: GrumpyFrog | Dec 14, 2006 1:43:47 PM

I live in Springfield. It's always amazing to find out how lives here over at that pretty campus.

Posted by: jayzallme3 | Dec 14, 2006 1:45:32 PM

I'm surprised so many of the comments here demonstrate functional illiteracy. Government schools are apparently as big a threat to our society as terrorism.

Posted by: Tim | Dec 14, 2006 1:47:12 PM

I don't like standing in lines to relieve myself but I will when this POS dies.

Posted by: Rubin | Dec 14, 2006 1:49:01 PM

No big loss, I'll be glad to whiz on his grave.

Posted by: Jeff T. Valovich | Dec 14, 2006 1:49:33 PM

Yes, yes, like they were waiting to attack us only when this guy died, not before. What's new? The same old garbage. It's amazing to watch how everything in the middle east revolves around violence, but don't stereotype them as terrorists. The only time this will all stop will not be when we defeat them time and again, but when these countries take a concerted effort to curb their own and the so-called muslims "moderates" actually take a stand and speak up. I don't think I have ever heard a Muslim moderate come out publically and say can't we all peacefully co-exsist. Why? Probably because another Muslim would kill him for it. It's a sad world.

Posted by: John | Dec 14, 2006 1:50:52 PM

IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE AND CONVENIENT IF MORE OF OMAR AND HIS ILK AND COHORTS DIED IN PRISON, PAINFULLY.

IT'S WHAT THEY WANT FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

Posted by: ONTIME | Dec 14, 2006 1:51:46 PM

I am so sick of the attention given to these muslim bums. He should have been executed in 1998 if the US had any balls. Just as the American Taliban and any other muslim dirt that conspires to kill Americans. The hypocracy is that American lawyers got them lesser sentences in American courts in front of American jurors. That is the part that sickens me the most. They should take these types of lawyers and the rest of the muslim terrorists and send them all on a one way trip to hell.

Posted by: Grumpy Chris | Dec 14, 2006 1:52:06 PM

Would we as Americans accept an Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish, British, Chinese,or any other country to have an airbase/military in our country dictating our policies? As an American wouldn't you stand up to this, some foreign power that doesn't know your culture nor care, bossing you around telling you how you should live. The hypocrisy is that by any means necessary I would defend my way of life here in America so it seems hypocritical that we would then be so hateful to those that do the same for their beliefs. How about instead of spending all this money fighting these people we just get the heck out of there. We've lost a war in Afghanistan and are losing a war in Iraq for what I would expect to be the same reason nobody would win a war on our turf, we wouldn't have it. Fact of the matter is they all want us out of their countries. Can you blame them? You can call them terrorists, al qaeda, sunni, shiite but in the end all they want is for us to leave. Wouldn't you want the same in their position?

Posted by: Their View | Dec 14, 2006 1:52:28 PM

I guess the Blind Sheikhster didn't see it coming... But he's been touch and go for a while now....

Mike Jones in regards to your 20% comment. I guess you can list me in the 80% group that would empty a couple of magazines in anyone breaking into my house.

With that said being I'm a good Christian I do want to wish the Sheikhster a very Merry Christmas.

Posted by: United we stand! | Dec 14, 2006 1:52:42 PM

A co-worker jokingly refers to cell phones being allowed in school as, "The downfall of public education--and our country--as we know it." We don't have to worry about Al Queda. We're destroying ourselves.

Posted by: ARROWHEAD_NEIGHBOR | Dec 14, 2006 1:53:41 PM

There are so many wakos in this country- Mike Jones is another one.

Posted by: Julia | Dec 14, 2006 1:54:23 PM

Let's just hope the bastard is suffering a lot of pain.

Posted by: Paul Smyth | Dec 14, 2006 1:54:34 PM

when the U.S wakes up and realizes we are alone in our fight against terrorism, and we get enough guts to flatten the whole problem over there, despite appeasement from liberals here in America, then and only then will we begin to win the fight. AND, It better happen on President Bush's watch, cause I don't see any liberal president with enough courage to press the button.

Posted by: howie malibu | Dec 14, 2006 1:54:56 PM

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