TRIPOLI, (Reuters) – Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of the 1988 bombing of a PanAm flight over Lockerbie, died of cancer yesterday aged 60, leaving many questions on the attack and its aftermath unanswered.
Megrahi, who said he was not responsible for bringing the jumbo jet down on the Scottish town and killing 270 people, was found guilty in 2001 but was freed in 2009 and returned to Libya because he had terminal cancer and was not expected to live long.
The decision by officials in Scotland to return Megrahi to Libya angered relatives of many victims, 189 of whom were American, and was criticised by Washington as Megrahi returned to a hero’s welcome from Muammar Gaddafi.
That he survived for nearly three more years, outliving Gaddafi, who was overthrown last year, caused discomfort in Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron, visiting the United States yesterday, said Megrahi should never have been freed.
Megrahi’s brother Mohammed told Reuters he had died at his home in the Libyan capital from complications from prostate cancer and the funeral would take place on Monday.