The Lockerbie Bomber freed

[Scuzz]

There was military benefit to the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and while modern revisionists try to say the war was going to end without them I, and most historians would disagree.

Blowing up a civilian aircraft thru terrorism benefits no one in any way. No higher goal is achieved. Only people die.

[farley2k]

There was military benefit to the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and while modern revisionists try to say the war was going to end without them I, and most historians would disagree.

Blowing up a civilian aircraft thru terrorism benefits no one in any way. No higher goal is achieved. Only people die.

That to is something I am sure historians could argue about. I am not knowledgeable about the subject but perhaps it changed how Britain or the US acted in "x" situation or how other Middle Eastern countries treated Libia. Can we really say there were no benefits in any way? That no higher goal was achieved?

[Scuzz]

I believe acts like that are done in revenge for perceived past transgressions. If he had blown up something that wasn't totally civillian, taken at random then maybe you have an arguement.

The 9-11 attacks. The planes crashing into the twin towers were pure terrorism. The plane crashing into the Pentagon, maybe not.

[Trappin]

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestn ... 5587119.jp" target="_blank

But despite promises that Mr MacAskill will publish "all relevant documentation" once permission has been received from the parties involved, a source close to the justice secretary said this would not include information about the doctor – including his or her name and qualifications.

"It is clear to me from the medical reports and the opinion of the specialists that Megrahi could live for many more months. Kenny MacAskill released him apparently on the advice of just one doctor, whose status is not clear and who is not named. "At the very least, before agreeing to release a prisoner convicted of such a serious crime on compassionate grounds, the minister should have sought a second opinion confirming the patient's prognosis from a specialist in palliative care."

Criminal and civil trials are transparent and part of the public record, we may disapprove of decisions handed down by liberal or conservative judges but the process is at least based on guidelines developed over hundreds of years.The Scots have handed part of this authority over to unnamed health officials which operate behind closed doors and keep all relevant documents sealed. Justice? that ain't justice.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/p ... ttr=797084

“The wider negotiations with the Libyans are reaching a critical stage and in view of the overwhelming interests for the United Kingdom, I have agreed in this instance the [prisoner transfer agreement] should be in the standard form and not mention any individual.”


George LucasObi-Wan Kenobi, one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century: “That's no moon. It's a space station.”



.

[Pyperkub]

Libya: Please release the bomber.
UK: Shan't.
Libya: Pleeeeez. U can haz oils.
UK: Well mebbe. But only if you promise not to make a big deal of it and rejoice and throw him a parade and stuff. That would make us look bad.
Libya: Trust us.
UK: OK. Here he is.
Libya: [Holds parades and makes big deal of it and rejoices.]
UK: Oh bugger.

According to a Times of London article today, this is the case. Apparently the UK was negotiating for oil rights, and it appears as if releasing him was part of the price, according to the article. I can't link it from my phone, unfortunately.

[stevemn]

I debated whether or not to comment on the whole issue; however since I have fairly reliable knowledge(as a participant) in the events immediately before the Iran airbus shoot down, I figured my 2 cents worth could be tossed in.
As several posters said, nothing occurs in a vacuum. The US naval presence in the gulf during the mid to late 80's was for oil convoy protection. Without taking sides officially, we did back the Iraquis in their war with Iran. In late 1987 the USS Stark was hit by an Iraqui exocet- I deployed to the gulf in January of 1988. While it did receive a huge amount of attention, this was a maritime warzone with small boat attacks, minings, air to ship attacks etc happeneing on a fairly regular basis. In early April the USS Roberts struck an Iranian mine in international waters, shortly thereafter the US eliminated/sunk/crippled most of the major Iranian surfact combatants in Operation Preying Mantis. The bottom line at this point in time is that the gulf was a very volatile environment, the Iranians had been humiliated in a series of surface engagements and a new ship had just arrived on the scene. By reputation this ship was a little cocky and looking for a fight. As a side note our ship and several others operated in the same air corridor for several months with no incidents. We heard about the shootdown on the way back home and the consensus was that the Vincennes screwed up. Again, it is a tough call but commercial airliners generally do not fly a typical attack profile. I had to make several decisions as well on whether or not to shoot small craft that approached our vessel too closely, I erred on the side of caution. Bottom line the Captain of the Vincennes made the wrong call, not I think out of a deliberate decision to kill innocents but rather due to the operating environment.
Now from the other perspective, what would the Iranians think? We are operating in international waters(quite close to their coast), we have sunk many of their naval assets and provided material support to their enemy in a brutal struggle. Finally as a topper and kind of an up yours, we shoot down a civilian airliner as an afterthought. Please heed my words here- that does not condone their decision to take revenge on a civilian target. They should have gone after a US naval vessel if they wanted to play. However recent events had proven that they could not do that.
Oh well, as most real life situations are this is not as clearly defined as one may desire.

[tjg_marantz]

Thank you for your post.

[craterus]

another party?

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terroris ... -s-release" target="_blank

also this is new info to me...
"Today, he lives in a luxury home with an estimated $3 million that was hidden in a Swiss bank since the time of the bombing, as the Christian Science Monitor reported last December."

If ever a country wanted to be aggressively diplomatic... that party sure looks like a good target.

[LawBeefaroni]

What a mess.

UK-US relations are also being tested. Some American legislators have accused British oil giant BP of playing a role in helping to secure Megrahi’s release in return for a $900 million oil exploration contract in Libya, as the Monitor recently reported. Four US senators – Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, two states where many of the American victims lived – have called on Scotland to release all medical records they hold on Megrahi.

Britain faces domestic tensions as well over the incident. On Thursday, a British human rights lawyer called for an independent inquiry into the case, citing a secret report that could raise doubts about Megrahi’s guilt, according to the Guardian. Alan Miller, head of the Scottish human rights commission, said a classified UK intelligence report that he hasn't seen is “believed to cast serious doubts on prosecution claims that Megrahi used a specific Swiss timer for the bomb."

[Isgrimnur]

Two new suspects

Scottish and U.S. investigators have identified two Libyan suspects believed to have been involved in the Lockerbie airline bombing almost 27 years ago which killed 270 people, Scottish prosecutors said on Thursday.
...
A Scottish Crown Office spokesman said the two unnamed Libyans were now suspected of being involved with Megrahi in carrying out the attack.

"The Lord Advocate has today ... issued an International Letter of Request to the Libyan Attorney General in Tripoli which identifies the two Libyans as suspects in the bombing of flight Pan Am 103," the spokesman said.

"The Lord Advocate and the U.S. Attorney General are seeking the assistance of the Libyan judicial authorities for Scottish police officers and the FBI to interview the two named suspects in Tripoli."

In 2003, former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi accepted his country's responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families, but he did not admit personally ordering the attack.

Megrahi, who always protested his innocence, died in Libya in 2012, three years after he was released by Scotland's government on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. His family and some relatives of the Scottish victims believe he was wrongly convicted.

[Isgrimnur]

CNN

A Libyan man accused of being involved in making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am flight 103 over the town of Lockerbie in December 1988 is now in US custody, authorities in the United States and Scotland said Sunday.

The US charged Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi for his alleged involvement in the bombing two years ago, a spokesman for the UK Crown Office and Prosecutor Fiscal Service told CNN.
...
The US Justice Department issued a statement Sunday morning confirming that the US had “taken custody of alleged Pan Am flight 103 bombmaker” Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, saying he is expected to make his “initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,” according to a spokesperson.