CAIRO — Egypt has pressed the United States to extradite a leading
Al Qaida-aligned insurgent.
Egyptian security sources said the regime of President Hosni Mubarak has
asked for the extradition of Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, Middle East Newsline reported. In 1994, the Egyptian
cleric was jailed for life in connection with the Islamic bombing of the
World Trade Center, in which six people were killed.
"Sheik Omar is believed to play a leading role in terror cells in Egypt
and the surrounding area," a security source said. "He is a key fugitive."
The source said the sheik succeeded in sending instructions through his
attorney and others to Islamic operatives in Egypt. In one case, remarks by
Abdul Rahman were published in a major Arabic daily which submitted
questions to the sheik through his attorney.
Egypt has sought to obtain Islamic insurgents from a range of Western
countries. So far, several European states have agreed to extradite
fugitives to Egypt.
The sources said Egypt plans to send a delegation from the Interior
Ministry to Washington to discuss the request for Rahman. They said Egypt
has also requested other fugitives in the United States.
The Bush administration has agreed in principle to extradite some of the
fugitives requested by Egypt, the sources said. They said Washington sought
guarantees that the fugitives would be given open and fair trials and not
undergo torture in Egypt.
