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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The imprisoned blind cleric who inspired the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has been hospitalized, raising fears of new attacks if he dies in U.S. custody, the FBI said in a bulletin.
Radical Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, 68, spat up blood on December 6 and was rushed to a hospital, the FBI notice said.
He had a small tear in his esophagus and was treated with a "needed transfusion to replace lost blood," said the FBI bulletin to staffers.
Medical personnel then discovered the cleric had a tumor on his liver, the FBI said.
Al Quintero, a public information officer for the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, said Abdel-Rahman remained at the hospital for five days.
"His condition improved, and he was returned back to prison on December 11, where he remains in stable condition," Quintero said.
Abdel-Rahman has strong ties to al Qaeda and is seen as a key theological force behind the terror group. He is an influential figure for Egyptian Islamic Jihad, most of whose members joined al Qaeda. He has been mentioned often by Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Abdel-Rahman, who is serving life in a U.S. prison, has called for attacks if he dies in jail. Law enforcement sources said there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned.
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Radical Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, 68, spat up blood on December 6 and was rushed to a hospital, the FBI notice said.
He had a small tear in his esophagus and was treated with a "needed transfusion to replace lost blood," said the FBI bulletin to staffers.
Medical personnel then discovered the cleric had a tumor on his liver, the FBI said.
Al Quintero, a public information officer for the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, said Abdel-Rahman remained at the hospital for five days.
"His condition improved, and he was returned back to prison on December 11, where he remains in stable condition," Quintero said.
Abdel-Rahman has strong ties to al Qaeda and is seen as a key theological force behind the terror group. He is an influential figure for Egyptian Islamic Jihad, most of whose members joined al Qaeda. He has been mentioned often by Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Abdel-Rahman, who is serving life in a U.S. prison, has called for attacks if he dies in jail. Law enforcement sources said there is no intelligence to suggest there are any attacks being planned.
Full Story
