Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Lockerbie Bomber Deal Sparks Cover-Up Claims

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 15, 2009 9:26 AM CDT

(Newser) – News that the Lockerbie bomber has dropped his appeal amid reports that he's about to be released on compassionate grounds has critics smelling a back-room deal and a cover-up, the Times of London reports. Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, is expected to be sent back to Libya soon from his Scottish prison. Some victims' relatives and others say Scottish authorities cut the deal to avoid a new trial, which could have exposed flaws in the original.

Critics say Megrahi's 2001 trial relied on flawed evidence and maintain he could not have carried out the attack alone. An appeal would be the best chance to address the lingering doubts. If Megrahi abandons his appeal, one Scottish politician said, "it means that Lockerbie will be one of those mysteries like the assassination of President Kennedy that will remain unsolved for a long time—possibly forever.”

Debris lies in a deep gash through the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, caused by the crash of PanAm flight 103, in this Dec. 22, 1988 file photo.
Debris lies in a deep gash through the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, caused by the crash of PanAm flight 103, in this Dec. 22, 1988 file photo.   (AP Photo/File)
Police and investigators look at what remains of the flight deck of Pan Am 103 on a field in Lockerbie, Scotland, in this Dec. 22, 1988 file photo.
Police and investigators look at what remains of the flight deck of Pan Am 103 on a field in Lockerbie, Scotland, in this Dec. 22, 1988 file photo.   (AP Photo/File)
Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi,  a Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in a Scottish court in  2001 of murder in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted in a Scottish court in 2001 of murder in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.   (AP Photo / CROWN OFFICE via PA)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

At the moment there is no other process or procedure ongoing to tell us how the bombing was carried out, why it was done, the motivation for it and who ordered it. - Pamela Dix, whose brother
died in the bombing

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
JonmarkP
Aug 16, 2009 1:06 AM CDT
plstyle
Aug 15, 2009 11:10 AM CDT
Is the video posted anywhere on the net?
JonmarkP
Aug 15, 2009 6:01 AM CDT
Watching the video as the Secret Service agents are waved off and ordered to stand down from the bumper of JFK's limousine, just as it rounds the corner, is as creepy as anything I have ever seen. He was dead a few seconds later.

More Newser Stories

Gadhafi Readies Private Jet for Lockerbie Bomber

Lockerbie Bomber: My Role in Bombing 'Exaggerated'

Libyan Defector: Gadhafi Ordered Lockerbie Bombing

Lockerbie Bomber Freed After 'Thuggish' Gadhafi Threats

Gadhafi: Lockerbie Is Over, 'Legally, Politically, Financially'


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne