Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi greeted by Seif al-Islam Gaddafi at Tripoli airport in 2009. AP Photo/PA
Libya

Lockerbie bomber dies in Libya: report

The only person convicted of the PanAm bombing which killed 270 people has reportedly died today.

THE MAN CONVICTED of the Lockerbie bombing and granted early release from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds has died in Libya, according to Reuters.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was jailed in 2001 for the bombing of a PanAm plane above Lockerbie, Scotland which killed 270 people in 1988. He repeatedly denied he was involved in the attack.

He was released from prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds when suffering from prostate cancer after reportedly being diagnosed with just months to live.

Upon his arrival in Libya, he was greeted by Muammar Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam Gaddafi. Thousands of people had gathered at the Tripoli airport to welcome him.

Before his release, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission said there were six grounds for believing a miscarriage of justice may have occurred over Megrahi’s conviction. However, it said that an appeals court must decide whether that was the case. Megrahi dropped his appeal shortly before being released from prison.

His family said that his health had deteriorated after his return home and that he had been in and out of a coma for several months before his death. His brother Abdulkahim has told news agencies that he passed away today.

Father of Lockerbie victim meets Megrahi in Libya >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
19
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.