Hundreds of Jama'a al-Islamiya members and leaders organized a protest near the US Embassy in central Cairo to demand the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman from a US prison. Abdel Rahman was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of seditious conspiracy against the US government for a New York City bomb plot. Well-known Islamists Aboud al-Zumor and Montaser al-Zayat were among the protesters. The US Embassy in Cairo issued a statement denying the alleged ill-treatment of Abdel Rahman and said he has not been prevented from contacting his family. Abdel Rahman "is receiving proper medical care and is frequently being given the right to communicate with lawyers, either through personal interviews or over the phone," according to the statement. The embassy went on to explain that Abdel Rahman and others were convited after extensive investigations conducted by US authorities in 1993 revealed a plot to blow up several sites in New York City, including the United Nations Headquarters, the Federal Plaza building, and the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, in addition to planned assassinations of a number of prominent political figures. The embassy also issued a statement asking US citizens in Egypt to exercise caution and stay away from the embassy and from Tahrir Square lest the protest turn violent. Translated from the Arabic Edition
