The Blaze

September 17, 2012 by Erica Ritz

The Blaze’s Jason Howerton contributed to this report.

The U.S. State Department is actively considering negotiations with the Egyptian government for the transfer of custody of Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as “the Blind Sheikh,” for humanitarian and health reasons, a source close to the the Obama administration told TheBlaze.

The Department of Justice, however, told TheBlaze that Rahman is serving a life sentence and is not considered for possible “release.” Previous calls to the State Department were referred to the Department of Justice and so far, the State Department has neither confirmed nor denied the report.

Glenn Beck revealed the controversial news on his show Monday.

The Blind Sheikh is currently serving a life sentence in American prison for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, but the newly-elected Islamist government in Egypt has been actively petitioning his release. Many have pinpointed a cause of last week‘s unrest in in the country to be protests over the Blind Sheikh’s release — not an anti-Muslim YouTube video.

The 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center was accomplished with a van packed with 1,500 pounds of explosives. It was hoped by the Islamic Terrorists that it would be enough to bring down at least one of the Twin Towers. The explosion gouged out a cavern five or six sub-levels high. Six people died and many more were severely hurt.


Citing the handling of the current crisis in the Middle East, and the administration’s explanation that an anti-Islamic video is to blame, Beck warned that the administration may be trying to initiate a “Bubba effect.”

“If this is true…I believe this administration is trying to initiate a ‘Bubba effect,’” he explained. “That is, the average person turning against the government, collectively…because no one trusts them.”

“No matter how bad a citizen may be behaving, the citizen’s reaction is worse in the Bubba effect. We have to be very careful America…because it’s going to get tougher from here on out.”

Watch more from Beck’s show:



A veteran intelligence analyst familiar with TheBlaze’s sourcing on this story said he met with an official on the Egypt desk at the State Department who told him the transfer of the Blind Sheikh to Egypt is something that is being “actively considered” by the administration as a solution to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. His source asked not to be identified, fearing he would be persecuted by the U.S. government.

“He said, ‘you’ve got to help me,’” the analyst told TheBlaze.

When asked if the transfer of the convicted terrorist was being seriously considered, the intelligence analyst said yes, according to his source in the State Department, who added that the move was not intended to take place or be announced until after the presidential election.

He also said it is likely that the riots and unrest in the Middle East are related to efforts pressing for the release of Rahman, not the anti-Muslim YouTube clip that the Obama administration is adamant sparked the chaos.

“When radical Islamists in Egypt were calling for the burning down of the U.S. embassy this past weekend, before the riots took place this week, they said they were going to do this to push for the release of the Blind Sheikh,” he added.

Rahman, or the Blind Sheikh, is the former leader of the radical “Islamic Group” in Egypt, which now holds 13 seats in the Egyptian Parliament. The Obama administration recently hosted a member of the designated terrorist organization at the White House, where Hani Nour Eldin met with senior State Department and Obama administration officials. Eldin reportedly urged the National Security Council to release Rahman during his visit, the analyst explained.

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy, who was the lead prosecutor in the Blind Sheikh case, told TheBlaze that he does not doubt the accuracy of the report, saying “there are very good reasons as to why it could be true.”

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is a member of the Terrorist Muslim Brotherhood and became immersed in Brotherhood ideology in the late seventies as a member of the Muslim Students Association when he was an engineering student USC. Started in the 1960s, it is the foundation of the Brotherhood’s American infrastructure. It now has hundreds of chapters at colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The MSA’s purpose is to indoctrinate young Muslims in the thought of Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna, among other Islamist luminaries.



McCarthy explained that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has been calling for the release of the Blind Sheikh ever since he was elected earlier this year. He said it is a matter of “great importance” to the radical Islamists in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, adding that his transfer to Egypt would undoubtedly lead to the terrorist’s release.

“I think the plan has been to agree to the Blind Sheikh’s release but not to announce it or have it become public until after the election. That is consistent with Obama’s pattern of trying to mollify Islamists,” he added. “Obviously, they did not want this information to surface yet… but sometimes a situation can spin out of control.”

McCarthy also said the way the Department of Justice worded its denial may prove to be significant. The DOJ said Rahman’s “release” was not being considered, however, the question was whether or not his “transfer” to Egypt was being discussed.

“Islamists in Egypt have been advocating for his release since we arrested him in the Summer of 1993 and have threatened and committed horrendous acts of violence to force his release,” the former federal prosecutor said. “The worst in Luxor, Egypt, where 58 tourists and 4 police officers were brutally shot, stabbed and the attackers left behind leaflets demanding the release of the Blind Sheikh, some inside the torsos of the victims.”

Former State Department senior official Christian Whiton appeared on Real News From TheBlaze to discuss the report, and stated that it is certainly a possibility.

“Unfortunately, I think it is [conceivable]. And it’s unfortunate because it amounts to negotiating with terrorists…but after all, this administration was inching closer and closer to some sort of trade of terrorists with the Taliban, so perhaps it’s considering the same with [Egyptian President Morsi].”

He also noted that the administration could avoid what he deemed “political suicide” by “whispering” to Egypt’s President Morsi that they can move in that direction after the election.

Buck Sexton noted that the transfer of the Lockerbie bomber was similarly unexpected.

“As with so many things in the Middle East, we’ve accepted the unacceptable,” Whiston remarked.