US anger as Lockerbie bomber Megrahi flies home

US relatives of victims of the 1988 bombing express their anger after Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill released the 57-year-old Libyan, who is dying of cancer

FIRST POSTED AUGUST 21, 2009

Gordon Brown has written to Muammar Gaddafi asking the Libyan leader not to show public support for Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber who was greeted with a hero's welcome on his return home. With relatives of the victims of the 1988 bombing having expressed their outrage and anger, Brown, in a short note, asked the Libyans "to act with sensitivity around Megrahi".

Although hundreds of Libyans celebrated after he landed in Tripoli airport last night, the ailing bomber was quickly whisked away by the Libyan authorities and it is thought that, had Gaddafi wanted it, the public support for him could have been much larger.

Yesterday, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill had announced compassionate release for the 57-year-old, sentenced in 2001 for blowing up a plane over the Scottish village Lockerbie with a loss of 270 lives. Megrahi has terminal prostate cancer and is not expected to live long.

Barack Obama has called the Scottish decision "a mistake", and some relatives of the victims also spoke out. Susan Cohen of New Jersey, whose daughter Theodora died in the attack, said: "I think it's appalling, disgusting and so sickening I can hardly find words to describe it. This isn't about compassionate release. This is part of give-Gaddafi-what-he-wants-so-we-can-have-the-oil."

However, Briton Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora also died on Flight 103, welcomed the Libyan's release, which he has long campaigned for, believing him to be innocent. "I think he should be able to go straight home to his family and spend his last days there," Swire told the BBC.

The decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds flew in the face of pressure from the US - 169 of the victims were American, including 45 students. Yesterday, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said compassionate release would be "absolutely wrong" and that she would continue to "encourage" the Scottish government never to release Megrahi.

Making his announcement on Thursday, Kenny MacAskill said: "I am conscious that [Megrahi] has committed the worst atrocities that our people have ever faced... but we have beliefs and values as a country. We have to act with mercy even if he has shown none. We should not debase ourselves."

He added: "Mr Megrahi now faces a sentence handed down by a far higher power. It is terminal and irrevocable... he is going to die."

Twenty-one nations lost citizens when Pan Am flight 103 exploded in mid-air on Wednesday 21 December 1988. Eleven residents of Lockerbie were killed in addition to the 259 air passengers. On 16 August 2003 Libya formally admitted responsibility for the atrocity, and it is thought the incident was a retaliation for various US military actions against Libya during the 1980s. Doubt has, however, been cast on Megrahi's conviction by some commentators.

FIRST POSTED AUGUST 21, 2009

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If he is guilty (in a real sense) then I can see no reason for compassion or mercy. MacAskill spoke of "higher power". He is not fit to make decisions such as the one he made. If Megrahi were a well man I would say he should appeal and wait for the verdict. However, he is not well and it seems he is unlikely to live long enough to know the outcome of an appeal. If he had died in prison and it turned out he was innocent, that would have been appalling. He has been released. If it turns out he really is guilty, it would have been better he stayed in prison. Which is worse, releasing a guilty man who perhaps has little time to live or denying an innocent man the opportunity to spend his last days/weeks with his family? On balance, I think it better he was released (I don't know all facts..as far as I can tell there is a real possibility he is not guilty). The question some have asked "what sort of message does it send etc.?" is just plain daft. It might send the message "don't worry, all you need to do is make yourself terminally ill and they will let you out".

Posted by TomNightingale at 10:39am on August 21, 2009

Here we have the comments from the UK. What is happening in the Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Liverpool, London, and Great Britain? Are we breaking the UK in the manner the Russia was broken. It is time UK woke up and realise that UK is UK, and USA is USA. I regret the deaths but that is enough of cries etc. this is more like the child saying he is America I must have the UK Barbie Doll. Conservative leader David Cameron: "I think this is wrong and it's the product of some completely nonsensical thinking, in my view. "This man was convicted of murdering 270 people, he showed no compassion to them, they weren't allowed to go home and die with their relatives in their own bed and I think this is a very bad decision." Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray: "If I was First Minister, Megrahi would not be going back to Libya. The decision to release him is wrong. "While one can have sympathy for the family of a gravely ill prisoner, on balance our duty is to honour and respect the victims of Lockerbie and have compassion for them." Tell me who cares about your opinion. He is happy in Libya .You cry until your tears dry out. You mean the justice in Scotland was wrong or that the judges were bribed. I thank you Firozali A Mulla

Posted by famulla at 12:13pm on August 21, 2009

Mr Megrahi was spared the death penalty. He has been the recipient of all the compassion he deserves and clearly far more than he can comprehend. As to Megrahi's guilt, let's be clear. He was convicted by a court of law and Libya has repeatedly admitted her culpability. The people who question his criminal conviction also believe in Bigfoot, blood libels and insist that 9/11 was an inside job perpetrated by George Bush.

Posted by Alex Harris at 12:49pm on August 21, 2009

The murky world of politics has reared its ugly head. Last week Peter Mandelson enjoys a break with the Libyan leaders son, a man who is set to take over from his dicatorial father. No doubt Megrahi was discussed. It is also becoming clear that BP who have a significant input in Lybian oil were frustrated by Libyan red tape. What we have is an exchange for Megrahi for easier access to Libyan oil fields. Intelleigence suggests that the UK needed to act quickly as Russia is close to securing a Naval base in Libya, and the UK was worried about Russian influence there. Have you noticed the silence on this topic from Brown and his unelected government.

Posted by Andrew Longworth at 9:36pm on August 21, 2009

One person was responsible for Lockerbie and he is still in charge of Libya. Why has Gadaffi survived longer than Saddam when he has so much western blood on his hands?

Posted by Mark Hale at 9:37pm on August 21, 2009

Now the Chief of the FBI has vented his spleen over the compassionate release of Megrahi. We have a different system of justice than the USA, arguably less brutal and more civilised, and one in which the role of policemen (FBI?) is mainly restricted to investigating and apprehending criminals - not passing judgment. High time the USA started showing some respect for different cultures. We are different and people over there must accept it.

Posted by nick at 1:34pm on August 23, 2009

I missed that PAA flight by one day, I returned to New York the day before. The only pity is that he was let go. Hopefully we don't have another Augusto Pinochet who was let go on the same grounds and lived happily ever after. Salvador Martinez

Posted by sammar at 10:22pm on August 23, 2009

I remember the tabloids: "Iam allright - Jack" (Jack Straw)

Posted by sammar at 10:24pm on August 23, 2009