Blind Sheikh’s Lawyer Lynne Stewart Dies at 77

Radical leftist lawyer Lynne Stewart died at her home in Brooklyn on Tuesday at the age of 77. She was reportedly diagnosed in 2014 with breast cancer, and, at the time, a doctor gave her 18 months to live. Her family told The New York Times that Stewart recently suffered a series of strokes and had complications from cancer. Stewart often represented reviled figures for modest fees—including the “blind sheikh” Omar Abdel Rahman, the cleric who was found guilty in 1995 of plotting to blow up New York City landmarks. In 2005, she was convicted of aiding terrorism by smuggling messages from the sheikh to his followers in Egypt. She spent four years in prison for the crime.