Lockerbie bomber Megrahi dies in Libya
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 May 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Lockerbie bomber Megrahi dies in Libya, 20 May 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4fbcc8f4c.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 20, 2012
The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, has died.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted over the bombing, died in his home in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after a long battle with cancer.
Megrahi, 59, was convicted by a special court in the Netherlands in 2001.
He was released from prison in Scotland in 2009 on compassionate grounds. He was suffering from cancer and was said to have only months to live.
His release sparked fury among many of the relatives of the victims of the Lockerbie disaster.
Attending a NATO summit in the United States when he heard the news of Megrahi's death, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said he should never have been freed.
Megrahi, who served as an intelligence agent during the rule of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, denied any role in the bombing, which still remains the deadliest terrorist incident ever to have taken place on British soil.
Based on reporting by Reuters, BBC, and other media
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
