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Former defense lawyer Lynne Stewart, 74, who's suffering from breast cancer, has been released from a Texas prison.

 of helping blind Egyptian cleric Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with followers while he was serving a life sentence for plotting to blow up landmarks in New York City.


Government attorneys requested the early release for Stewart because the cancer has metastasized to her lungs and bones.

Doctors say she has less than 18 months to live.

 under a prison program for terminally ill inmates, according to 

Stewart was convicted in 2005 and began serving her sentence in 2009. She was not scheduled to be released until 2018.

In a phone call after being released from prison, Stewart told The Associated Press: "I'm very grateful to be free. We've been waiting months and months and months."

She was serving her sentence at the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth.

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Doreen McCallister

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Former defense lawyer Lynne Stewart, 74, is suffering from breast cancer. She was convicted in 2005 of helping blind Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman communicate with followers while he was serving a life sentence for plotting to blow up landmarks in New York City.

Dying lawyer convicted of aiding terrorism leaves prison

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