Israel Matzav

Recapture al-Megrahi? Fat chance

One of the worst moments of the last years of Muammar Gadhafi's reign was the return to Libya of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset al-Megrahi.

Al-Megrahi was released from prison on 'compassionate' grounds by Scotland. Those compassionate grounds turned out to have more to do with British oil interests than with how much time al-Megrahi had left to live. Al-Megrahi, who allegedly had less than three months left, is still alive two years later, and appeared on television with Gadhafi at a rally last month.

Here's US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in December 2010, talking about the false pretenses that led to al-Megrahi's release.

A US Congressional inquiry into the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbasset al-Megrahi says there was strong political pressure on the Scottish government to free him.

It also casts doubt on the competence of the doctors who examined Megrahi.

"Commercial and economic considerations trumped... our global fight against terrorism," said Senator Bob Menendez.

...

The senators' report states that Scottish authorities examining the former Libyan intelligence officer relied on "false" and "flawed" medical prognosis that may have been influenced by a doctor hired by the Libyan government.

Mr Menendez, along with three other senators, launched the investigation after officials from Scotland, the UK and BP did not testify at a Senate foreign relations committee hearing, he was scheduled to chair in July.

"This was a case in which commercial and economic considerations trumped the message of our global fight against terrorism," said Mr Menendez.

He added: "We have to make it impossible that anything like this injustice takes place again."

Mr Menendez is set to unveil the report - Justice Undone: The Release of the Lockerbie Bomber - at a news conference in Washington on Tuesday.

There's a different video at that link which I could not embed. But here's a Scottish video that discusses the story.

Let's go to the videotape.



Today, with Gadhafi having been deposed, Michael Rubin says it's time to put Megrahi back where he belongs.

Well, Megrahi is still alive, in a wheelchair but well enough to have been shown on Libyan television attending a pro-Qaddafi rally just last month. If Obama was sincere in his regret [of Megrahi's release], perhaps the time is right to seize Megrahi and finally win justice for the American victims of Lockerbie.

The odds of Obama ordering Megrahi's arrest without the consent of both Britain and NATO (if not the UN as well) are not good. But if we're really lucky, maybe he'll ask the British or the Scottish to do the job for him. That's leading from behind.

Labels: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, Arab terrorism, Lockerbie, Muammar Gaddafi, Pan Am 103

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:25 PM