September 10, 2009
Lockerbie Bomber Walks Free
A recent act of political stupidity seems to have enraged everybody. So well done to the Scotsman in a suit who managed it by releasing the man convicted of blowing up a Pan Am plane over Lockerbie ‘for humane reasons’. Even though this was an appalling tragedy, there was a certain amount of humour in seeing Scottish flags waving enthusiastically amongst the welcoming crowd in Libya to mark the convicted mass murderer’s heroic return.
And therein lies the reason for all our politicians rushing for their plausible excuses file. It seems highly unlikely that the cancer-ridden Libyan gent actually perpertrated the horror for which he was convicted. One of the more plausible conspiracy theories has this as a macabre tit for tat crime in response for the USS Vincennes shooting down an Iranian airliner back in 1979, killing a mere 290 pilgrims en-route to Mecca, including 66 children.
Maybe. It seems more likely to me that oil is the overriding reason for Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi being so caringly released. It might just be commercial opportunism. Gordon Brown seemed to be looking even more evasive than usual when denying that particular line of question. Jack Straw was quick to admit that Libya wanted his early release - and the small matter of two hundred dead bodies was not going to hold up that particular humane action.
I suppose the fact that all the blame could conveniently be heaped on Scotland was pretty useful too. And it does beggar belief. Granted America is a long way away and those unfortunate passengers have been long forgotten by everybody except their grieving friends and relatives. But when the plane was blown out of the skies it flattened part of a small Scottish town and destroyed Scottish lives.
All things considered you would not think that a convicted bombers final days should be spent in comfort as a returning hero in Libya – even if it does keep the price of lead-free down by a penny or two for a little while longer. Unless of course he did not do it – and the whole ghastly business has been an elaborate charade.
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