Omar Abdel-Rahman, commonly known as "The Blind Sheikh", was a blind Egyptian Muslim cleric who was arrested and went on trial with several followers in 1995, accused of plotting a day of terror for the United States which would include assassinations and synchronized bombings of the U.N. headquarters, a major federal government facility in Manhattan. as well as tunnels and a bridge linking New York City and New Jersey.

He was ultimately convicted of conspiracy in this plot as well as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

His arrest and imprisonment enraged Islamic militants around the world and became a rallying point for the masses, including the Al Qaeda terrorist organization and Osama bin Laden. Abdel-Rahman remained a spiritual leader for radical Muslims even after serving more than 20 years in prison on a life sentence.

He died in February, 2017 at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.