The Lockerbie bomber has been paraded on Libyan TV almost two years after his release from a UK prison because he was dying of cancer.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, 59, has been feted as a hero in his home country since he was released from jail in 2009 ‘on compassionate grounds’.
The Libyan national was convicted of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, killing all 259 passengers and crew on board the New York-bound Boeing 747, and 11 people in Lockerbie.
The Scottish government released Megrahi after judging that he had only three months to live. His longevity has been a source of embarrassment to the Holyrood administration ever since.
At a televised rally of members of Megrahi’s tribe last night, a Libyan TV presenter claimed that ‘half of the world conspired against’ the bomber. In the broadcast, which will cause further anguish to victims’ families, the convicted terrorist was seen in a wheelchair.
[More]
Afternoon Updates: