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Lockerbie Bomber Returns to Libya

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi Returns Home to Libya

By BEN McCONVILLE

posted: 9 HOURS 9 MINUTES AGO

comments: 3190

filed under: Terrorism News, World News

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EDINBURGH, Scotland (Aug. 20) -- The only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 returned home to Libya to die after he was released from a Scottish prison Thursday, a decision that outraged some relatives of the 270 people killed when the jetliner blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, more than two decades ago.

President Barack Obama said the Scottish decision to free terminally ill Abdel Baset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a mistake and said he should be under house arrest. Obama warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.

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Lockerbie Controversy

The Scottish government is expected to announce Thursday that Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi will be released from prison on compassionate grounds. Al-Magri, 57, suffers from terminal cancer. He was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The airliner blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, killing 270 people.

Crown Office / AP

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Despite the warning, at the military airport in Tripoli where al-Megrahi's plane touched down thousands of youths were on hand to warmly greet him. He left the plane wearing a dark suit and a tie and accompanied by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi. They immediately sped off in a convoy of all-white vehicles.

At home, al-Megrahi is seen as an innocent scapegoat the West used to turn this African nation into a pariah, and his return is a cause for celebration. There was a festive atmosphere with some wearing T-shirts with al-Megrahi's picture and waving Libyan and miniature blue-and-white Scottish flags. Libyan songs blared in the background.

"I think it's appalling, disgusting and so sickening I can hardly find words to describe it," said Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, N.J., whose 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, died in the attack. "This isn't about compassionate release. This is part of give-Gadhafi-what-he-wants-so-we-can-have-the-oil."

But many in Libya view his homecoming as a moral victory for the African country and an end to a long-standing humiliation at the hands of the West. They say Libya was forced to surrender al-Megrahi to end years of crippling sanctions.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi lobbied hard for the return of al-Megrahi, an issue which took on an added sense of urgency when al-Megrahi was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. He was recently given only months to live.

The 57-year-old former Libyan intelligence officer served only eight years of his life sentence.

Al-Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing on Dec. 21, 1988, and sentenced to life in prison. The airliner exploded over Scotland and all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground died when it crashed into the town of Lockerbie.

He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 27 years in a Scottish prison for Britain's deadliest terrorist attack. But a 2007 review of his case found grounds for an appeal of his conviction, and many in Britain believe he is innocent.

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Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who announced the release, said although al-Megrahi had not shown compassion to his victims — many of whom were American college students flying home to New York for Christmas — MacAskill was motivated by Scottish values to show mercy.

"Some hurts can never heal, some scars can never fade," MacAskill said. "Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive ... However, Mr. al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power."

He said he stood by al-Megrahi's conviction and the sentence for "the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on U.K. soil."

He added that he had ruled out sending the bomber back to Libya under a prisoner-transfer agreement, saying the U.S. victims had been given assurances that al-Megrahi would serve out his sentence in Scotland. But he said that as a prisoner given less than three months to live by doctors, al-Megrahi was eligible for compassionate release.

But U.S. family members of Lockerbie victims expressed outrage.

"I don't understand how the Scots can show compassion. It's an utter insult and utterly disgusting," said Kara Weipz, of Mount Laurel, N.J. Her 20-year-old brother Richard Monetti was on board the doomed flight. "It's horrible. I don't show compassion for someone who showed no remorse."

As his white van rolled down street outside Greenock Prison on his way to the airport in Glasgow, Scotland, some men on the roadside made obscene gestures. Al-Megrahi later appeared on the airport tarmac dressed in a white tracksuit, black shirt and white baseball cap. He covered his mouth with a white scarf as he slowly climbed the stairs up to an Airbus plane aided by a cane.

In a statement following his release, al-Megrahi stood by his insistence that he was wrongfully convicted.

"I say in the clearest possible terms, which I hope every person in every land will hear — all of this I have had to endure for something that I did not do," he said.

He also said he believed the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing may now never be known.

"I had most to gain and nothing to lose about the whole truth coming out — until my diagnosis of cancer," he said, referring to an appeal against his conviction that he dropped in order to be freed. "To those victims' relatives who can bear to hear me say this, they continue to have my sincere sympathy for the unimaginable loss that they have suffered."

Al-Megrahi's conviction was largely based on the testimony of a shopkeeper who identified him as having bought a man's shirt in his store in Malta. Scraps of the garment were later found wrapped around a timing device discovered in the wreckage of the airliner. Critics of al-Megrahi's conviction question the reliability of the store owner's evidence.

A letter published Thursday showed that Libya had invoked human rights concerns in appealing to Scotland for al-Megrahi's release.

Abdulati Alobidi, Libya's Secretary of European Affairs, said under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights — a U.N. treaty — all those deprived of liberty must be "treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person."

Gadhafi engineered a rapprochement with his former critics following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He renounced terrorism, dismantled Libya's secret nuclear program, accepted his government's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.

Western energy companies — including Britain's BP PLC — have moved into Libya in an effort to tap the country's vast oil and gas wealth.

Al-Megrahi was a well-known figure in the Scottish community near his prison, receiving regular treatment at the hospital and visited often by his wife and children, who lived in Scotland for several years.

Briton Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died on Flight 103, welcomed the Libyan's release, saying many questions remained about what led to the bomb that exploded in the cargo hold.

"I think he should be able to go straight home to his family and spend his last days there," Swire told the BBC. "I don't believe for a moment this man was involved in the way he was found to be involved."

Among the Lockerbie victims was John Mulroy, the AP's director of international communication, who died along with five members of his family.

Associated Press Writers Geoff Mulvihill in Mount Laurel, N.J., Shawn Marsh in Trenton, N.J., Meera Selva in London, Matthew Lee in Washington, Jessica M. Pasko in Albany, N.Y., and Jim Hannah in Dayton, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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Eye on the News

A firefighter tries to extinguish flames during a forest fire near the town of Magoula, 20 miles northwest of Athens, Greece, Aug. 20.

Petros Giannakouris, AP

Eye on the News

Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins the men's 200m finals of the 2009 IAAF Athletics World Championships, setting a world record time of 19.19 seconds, Aug. 20 in Berlin.

Adrian Dennis, AFP / Getty Images

Four-year-old Jovian Ashby-Thomas is held by his mother Cecila while a nurse administers an immunization shot in preparation for entering kindergarden during a DC Department of Health Back-to-School Vaccination Clinic on August 20, 2009 at Coolidge High School in Washington, DC. The Department of Health provides free vaccines for healthcare providers that serve Medicaid-eligible children. The DOH also provides free immunizations for uninsured and under-insured District residents at its express clinic.

Tim Sloan, AFP / Getty Images

Former New York Giant Plaxico Burress leaves Manhattan criminal court in New York, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. Burress pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and agreed to a two-year prison term for accidentally shooting himself at a Manhattan nightclub.

Seth Wenig, AP

A Palestinian child is seen surrounded of Ramadan festive lights ahead of the holy fasting month in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. Starting Friday or Saturday, Muslims around the world will mark the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Bernat Armangue, AP

Loami Chief Police Officer Stan Workman surveys tornado damage in Loami, Ill., Thursday, Aug 20, 2009. At least 19 people were injured and dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed as a line of severe weather spawning one or more tornadoes slammed into the central Illinois area Wednesday.

Seth Perlman, AP

A firefighter tries to extinguish the blaze during a forest fire near the town of Magoula, some 20 miles (30 kilometers) northwest of Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. Greek firefighters were placed on nationwide alert as very strong winds whipped on blazes in several parts of the country, damaging one house in the western area of Astakos. Nobody was injured, and although the flames came close to Magoula, charring two warehouses, no houses were burnt. More than 70 people died in terrible wildfires in Greece two years ago.

Petros Giannakouris, AP

Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, top left, is accompanied by Seif al-Islam el- Gadhafi, son of Libyan leaderLibyan leader Moammar Gadhafi upon his arrival at airport in Tripoli, Libya, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 after Scotland freed the terminally ill Lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds Thursday, allowing him to die at home in Libya despite American protests that mercy should not be shown to the man responsible for the deaths of 270 people.

Amr Nabil, AP

Men cast their ballots at a polling station in Kabul, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. Afghans head to the polls to elect the new president for the second time in the country's history. An election worker sits near ballot boxes at a polling station in Kabul, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009. Afghans voted under the shadow of Taliban threats of violence Thursday to choose their next president for a nation plagued by armed insurgency, drugs, corruption and a feeble government nearly eight years after the U.S.-led invasion.

Dima Gavrysh, AP

An Afghan woman casts her vote at a polling station in Kabul on Aug. 20. Security is on high alert as voters decide on a president in Afghanistan.

Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images

A suspect surrenders to police in Viernheim, Germany, Aug. 20. The 44-year-old man barricaded himself in his apartment, after setting off several bombs in a nearby home.

Daniel Maurer, AP

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2009-08-19 15:29:44

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BHTXD004

01:02 AMAug 21 2009

all of the bleeding heart politically correct liberals want to turn guys like him and the guys in GITMO loose because we MAY be imposing on their rights. We need to show them the same compassion that they have shown their victims, like hanging him by his nuts till it rips out his cancerous prostate. What part of the FACT that these people want to see all of us DEAD do you not understand. Maybe the Prez can send them another video they all think it is an episode of americas funniest home videos

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Kar7Shi

01:01 AMAug 21 2009

May the bomber rot in hell, I hope he dies a rotten death.

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mrtoadslove

01:01 AMAug 21 2009

I was just in Edinburgh and loved Scotland. My husband and I were already planned a longer more expansive trip to Scotland based on our recent stay. Well, no more. I will not spend one dime of my money on anything in this country. How dare they release this man. Cowards, kiss my tourism dollars goodbye!

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penneyc160

01:00 AMAug 21 2009

I think we should send a couple of those triangle shaped planes overand make Libya a parking lot .

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xsgame3115

01:00 AMAug 21 2009

NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would I have ever thought that Scotland would condone a Libyan bomber murdering 270 innocent people. Now the Libyans are wearing T-shirts with pictures of the bomber on them, while DANCING AROUND WAVING SCOTTISH FLAGS. Seems the Libyans have TWO HEROS: Al-Megrahi and Scotland. Apparently Scotland has decided that this Libyan bomber is a hero, and that American lives are of no consequence. We Americans need to go on a mission ourselves: beginning with boycotting all things UK. That includes all the products and people of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. WHAT SCUM! All these people hate America and Americans. We should identify these people, label them as enemies, and show a continuous--around the clock stream--of negative imagery about them, until they're so hated, that no one objects to any evils committed upon them. Burned crosses and lynchings are not out of order. We've done that before. It's in our national DNA.

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ELKMAN189

12:59 AMAug 21 2009

One more liberal vote.

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Trek Fox

12:58 AMAug 21 2009

ZombieScot, my bad, Danny Boyle directed. Now, no name calling, play nice with the kids here. Stupid American, gee, I thought this was American on Line (AOL). Scotland, been there, I'll show ya the pictures some time. Naw, changed me mind. Your loss...

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LA MIB6297

12:58 AMAug 21 2009

I always knew the Scots were a little crazy, but I didn't know they were sooooo stupid. As luck would have it I had planned a trip that included Scotland....Not now, not ever.......I will never spend a cent that might go to that country. Justice Minister, what a joke.

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ZombieScot69

12:56 AMAug 21 2009

We also invented (including your justice system and country 'one nation under God' model):http://www.magicdragon.com/Wallace/thingscot.html

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