The blind Egyptian cleric who was serving a life sentence in prison for planning attacks on New York City is dead.
Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman died early this morning in a North Carolina prison medical facility.
Prison officials say the 78-year-old was battling diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Rahman was considered the mastermind behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people and injured many more.
He was convicted in 1995 for his role in a failed plot to blow up five City landmarks, including the United Nations and several bridges and tunnels.
Civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby, who defended Rahman in court, posted a remembrance on Facebook Saturday:
"I know that few here will be saddened by the news that Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman has died in federal prison," Kuby wrote. "But I always believed, and continue to believe, that he was not guilty of conspiracy or any other crimes against the United States. I got to know him fairly well and found him to be a fascinating man with a great sense of humor, however much I despised his vision of what society should be. His war was never in the US — it was always against the corrupt Egyptian government."
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