Tripoli, Aug 21 (DPA) The Libyan man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people were killed arrived in Tripoli Thursday night after being freed by a Scottish justice official so the terminally ill prisoner could die at home.
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was welcomed by a huge crowd of Libyans at Ma’atiqa International airport along with his family and some officials, the official JANA news agency reported. The crowd waved flags, including several Scottish ones.
The 57-year-old Libyan was released following a controversial decision by the Scottish authorities to free him on health grounds so that “he could die in his native country”, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said.
He had served just eight years of a minimum life term of 27 years imposed by a special court in The Netherlands in 2001 for blowing up a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988 in what was Britain’s worst terrorist attack.
The release has caused tensions with the US government, which repeatedly made it clear that it wanted him to serve his full prison term.
Al-Megrahi, who is terminally ill with prostate cancer, arrived in Libya with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader, Moamer Gaddafi. Al-Megrahi, who is related to Gaddafi, has a wife and five children, as well as ageing parents, in Libya.
Al-Magrehi’s release came as Libya is preparing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Gaddafi’s rule, and welcoming the holy month of Ramadan, which starts Friday.
Al-Magrehi left Glasgow airport in Scotland on a Libyan government Airbus just hours after being freed from nearby Greenock prison. He was seen shielding his face with a white scarf and the collar of his white track suit as he walked up the gangway of the Airbus unaided, but supported by a cane.
“We thought it was a mistake,” US President Barack Obama said of the release, while the State Department warned Tripoli that a “hero’s welcome” would affect future relations.
Obama said his administration has been in contact with the Libyan government urging it to place al-Megrahi under house arrest.
A statement from the White House described the decision to free al-Megrahi as “deeply regrettable”.
“As we have expressed repeatedly to officials of the government of the United Kingdom and to Scottish authorities, we continue to believe that Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland.
“On this day, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who live every day with the loss of their loved ones. We recognise the effects of such a loss weigh upon a family for ever,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
Of the 259 people killed on board the Pan Am plane, 189 were Americans, while 11 people on the ground also died.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other officials had lobbied for months to prevent his release, arguing he is a convicted terrorist who should be required to serve out the life imprisonment sentence handed down following his 2001 trial.
“We have continued to communicate our long-standing position to UK government officials and Scottish authorities that Megrahi should serve out the entirety of his sentence in Scotland,” Clinton said in a statement, adding the US was “deeply disappointed” by the decision.
MacAskill said he decided to free al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, strictly following the law. “This decision is mine and mine alone,” said the minister, underlining that the devolved government of Scotland has sole responsibility for judicial matters.
MacAskill, addressing the concerns expressed by the US, and by relatives, said he was aware that there were “deeply-held feelings” and that “many will not agree with my decision”.
In a statement issued on his behalf, al-Meghrahi said he was relieved to return to his homeland.
“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. To those who bear me ill-will, I do not return that to you,” he said.
For him, his “horrible ordeal” would not end with his return to Libya. “It may never end for me until I die. Perhaps the only liberation for me will be death.”
“The remaining days of my life are being lived under the shadow of the wrongness of my conviction.”
Al-Megrahi had three months to live, medical evidence showed, according to MacAskill. “He may die sooner, he may live longer, I can only base my decision on the medical advice before me,” he said.
The decision drew outraged responses from families of the US victims.
“When you say compassionate I feel ill,” said Susan Cohen, whose daughter was killed.
The leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, David Cameron, also criticised the release.
“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.”
Saad Jabbar, a lawyer advising the Libyan government, called al-Megrahi’s release a “victory for common sense”.
Insisting that the former convict was not guilty of the attack, the release also served to “rectify a gross miscarriage of justice”, he said.
Al-Megrahi’s return to Libya would “open the way for normalisation” between Britain and Libya and enhance Britain’s standing in the Arab world.
“Rest assured that the Scottish government has done the UK a great favour,” Jabbar said. Respect for Britain “in the eyes of the Arab world will grow”.
The Cairo-based Arab League welcomed Megrahi’s release, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.
“The Arab League welcomes the Scottish court decision to release Megrahi, taking into consideration his serious health condition,” Assistant Secretary General Ahmed Bin Hilli said.
