Business
Lockerbie Bomber Regains Freedom
Freed Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi has boarded a plane waiting at Glasgow Airport to take him home to Libya.
Al-Megrahi walked slowly up the steps of the Airbus operated by Libyan airline Afriqiyah. He was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988 that killed 270 people.
Scottish officials said yesterday they were freeing him on compassionate grounds. Al-Megrahi has terminal prostate cancer and has been given less than three months to live.
The U.S. opposed the release and families of some Lockerbie victims reacted angrily to the decision.
The White House said it “deeply regrets” the Scottish decision, and U.S. family members immediately expressed outrage.
Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who had served only eight years of his life sentence, was recently given only months to live after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill 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.”
Al-Megrahi, 57, was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988. He was 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.
The former Libyan intelligence officer 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.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday the United States disagreed with the decision to free al-Megrahi.
“We continue to believe that Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland,” Gibbs said. “On this day, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who live every day with the loss of their loved ones.”
MacAskill said he stood by al-Megrahi’s conviction and the sentence for “the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on U.K. soil.”
Business
NCDMB, Dangote Refinery Unveil JTC On Deepening Local Content
Business
Food Security: NDDC Pays Counterpart Fund For LIFE-ND Project
Business
Replace Nipa Palms With Mangroove In Ogoni, Group Urges FG, HYPREP
-
Politics1 day ago
Obey Order On AA In Six Days, Court Directs INEC, Yakubu
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Cancer Risk: HYPREP, IARC Launch Human Biometric Study in Ogoniland
-
Sports1 day ago
Coach Eager To Transform El Kanemi Warriors
-
News1 day ago
Presidency Faults US Visa Restrictions On Nigerians, Demands Fair Treatment
-
Politics1 day ago
PDP Still Formidable Ahead 2027 – Nat’l Youth Leader
-
Niger Delta1 day ago
Commissioner Explains Oborevwori’s Retirement Age Extentoon For Associate Profs
-
Politics1 day ago
Civic Duty, Not Politics Necessitated My Engagement With Abacha – Obi
-
Sports1 day ago
Oyibu predicts success for Team Nigeria at Athletics Championships