Abdel Rahman, Omar, Sheik

1938 - Born on the 3rd of May in Egypt.

1970 - He developed close ties with two of Egypt’s most militant organizations.

1980 - He had emerged as the leader of Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, although he was still revered by

             followers Egyptian Islamic Jihad. 

       - He made his way to Afghanistan where he contacted his former professor, Abdullah Azzam.

1981 - He spent three years in Egyptian jails where he was severely tortured as he awaited trial on

              charges of issuing a fatwa.       
          
1989 - He built a strong rapport with bin Laden during the Afghan war against the Soviets aning

              Azzam’s murder.

1990 - He was sent to New York City in July to gain control of MAK’s financial and organisational

              infrastructure in the United States.        

       - He was issued a tourist visa to visit the US despite his name being listed on a US State

              Department terrorist  watch list.         

1993 - He was immediately surrounded by a core group of devoted followers that included persons

              responsible for World Trade Center bombing.        
      

        - He was arrested along with nine of his followers.

1994 - He was found guilty on other charges and sent to prison.

1995 - He was convicted of seditious conspiracy and was sentenced to life in prison.

1997 - His imprisonment has become a rallying point for Islamic militants around the world, including

             Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.        

1998 - His  last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda news conference.

2005 - The members of his legal team, were convicted of facilitating communication between the

              imprisoned Sheikh and members of the terrorist organization.         

2006 -  He became ill on the 14th of December.
     
        - He had a small tear in his esophagus and was treated with a needed transfusion to replace

              lost blood.

        - He  remained at the hospital for five days and his condition improved, and he was returned

              back to prison on the 11th of December.