Megrahi’s death leaves questions on Lockerbie bombing unanswered

Abdul Basset al-Megrahi death Sunday, leaves many questions on the attack and its repercussions unanswered. Megrahi, who was the only person convicted for the bombing, was found guilty under Scots law of secretly loading a suitcase bomb onto a plane at Malta’s Luqa Airport, where he was head of operations for Libyan Arab Airlines in December 1988. All 259 people on board the aircraft were killed when it exploded, as well as 11 people in the town of Lockerbie when homes and vehicles were obliterated by falling debris. Megrahi was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to serve a minimum of 27 years in prison. However he was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after doctors said he only had three month to live. The fact that Megrahi survived for nearly three years, provoked much indignation in Britain and the US. The Scottish government insists its decision to free him was been vindicated. However British prime minister David Cameron, has criticised Megrahi’s release as a “terrible mistake.” Megrahi’s family have continuously maintained his innocence. His brother Abdulhakim has said Megrahi was “exploited” by Muammar Gaddafi’s regime which used him as a scapegoat for a crime he did not commit. Abdulhakim said Sunday, when his brother died: “Just because Abdul Basset is dead doesn’t mean the past is now erased,” he said. “We will always tell the world that my brother was innocent.” The Scottish leader Alex Salmond, said his death confirmed his medical condition had been serious, saying:  “Mr. Megrahi’s death ends one chapter of the Lockerbie case, but it does not close the book”. The Reuters news agency has said that, according to reports, Megrahi’s lawyers were preparing a file that delved into German interrogations of young men suspected of planting the bomb onboard the flight. Megrahi himself insisted her was merely an airline executive and not an agent in Gaddafi’s intelligence service as prosecutors charged. He also said a book being written by investigative journalist John Ashton would finally clear his name. According to Megrahi, US agencies “led the way” in securing his conviction. Reaction to his death reflected the controversies that have raged for years over his role in the attack. Many people in Britain say they believe he was a scapegoat. However many in the US have accused Britain of releasing him to help secure oil deals in Gaddafi’s Libya. Britain has denied the charge. US Senator Charles Schumer of New York, who wanted the Libyan government that took over after Gaddafi’s ouster and killing by rebels to take Megrahi into custody, said his return to Libya was a major injustice. “The whole deal smelled of a deal for oil for this man’s freedom and that was almost blasphemy given what a horrible person he was and the terrible destruction and tragedy that he caused, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the bottom of it now”, Schumer told CNN. Cameron, who was in opposition when Megrahi was freed, said in Chicago: “I’ve always been clear he should never have been released from prison. The British prime minister added: “Today is a day to remember the 270 people who lost their lives in what was an appalling terrorist act. Our thoughts should be with them and their families for the suffering they’ve had.” Jim Swire, the father of one of the British Lockerbie victims, said he was convinced Megrahi was innocent. Swire said: “I’ve been satisfied for some years that this man had nothing to do with the murder of my daughter and I grit my teeth every time I hear newscasters say ‘Lockerbie bomber has died’ “he told BBC News television. “This is a sad day.” Megrahi told Reuters in October the West had exaggerated his role and the truth about what happened would emerge soon. Babette Solon Hollister, 79, whose 20 year old daughter died on the PanAm flight said: “I don’t know if he was totally guilty but we know he was involved. I doubt anything will be resolved now.” Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC), which took over after Gaddafi was ousted last year, has said it would work with the Scottish government over the possible involvement of others in the Lockerbie bombing, an attack the country’s new rulers are eager to distance themselves from. “We would have liked to uncover more truths, but his death will not shut the Lockerbie file,” NTC spokesman Mohamed al-Harizy said on Sunday. Gaddafi’s Libya emerged from isolation after it scrapped a banned weapons program and paid compensation for the Lockerbie bombing. Megrahi was handed over by Libya with fellow suspect Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima under a UN-brokered deal. Fahima was acquitted by the Scottish judges at Camp Zeist in January 2001.