U.S. Refuses Visas For Egyptian Islamist Leader's Family
CAIRO, April 6 (News Agencies) - The U.S. embassy in Cairo has refused to grant visas to the son and wife of the imprisoned spiritual head of the Islamist movement Jamaa Islamiya, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman's son was quoted saying Friday.
The sheikh's son, Abdullah, told the London-based Arabic-language daily al-Hayat that the embassy decision was "atrocious tyranny."
Abdullah said he had made a request for visas late February for himself and his mother to visit Sheikh Omar, who is in a U.S. prison in connection with the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center.
The visa request was turned down during an interview at the embassy Wednesday, the paper said.
Abdullah said that "the American administration is continuing its hostile policies against Muslims," adding that it was "taking revenge against Islam" by denying the visas.
The paper quoted the U.S. embassy saying it had not received sufficient guarantees that the visit of the sheikh's family would be temporary. AFP tried without success to contact the embassy Friday.
The sheikh was given a life term in January 1996 for the attack on the World Trade Center, which left six dead and 1,000 injured.
