TRIPOLI, Libya — The only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing returned home Thursday to a cheering crowd tossing flower petals in the air after his release from a Scottish prison — an outrage to many relatives of the 270 people who perished when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded more than 20 years ago.
President Barack Obama said the Scottish decision to free terminally ill Abdel Baset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a mistake and said he should be under house arrest. Obama warned Libya not to give him a hero’s welcome.
Despite the warning, thousands of young men were on hand at the military airport in Tripoli where al-Megrahi’s plane touched down.
He was accompanied by Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy’s son, Saif al-Islam Khadafy, who was dressed in a traditional white robe and golden embroidered vest. The son pledged last year to bring al-Megrahi home and raised his hand victoriously to the crowd as he exited the plane. The two men then sped off in a convoy of white sedans.
But al-Megrahi’s release disgusted many victims’ relatives.
“You get that lump in your throat and you feel like you’re going to throw up,” said Norma Maslowski, of Haddonfield, N.J., whose 30-year-old daughter, Diane, died in the attack.
“This isn’t about compassionate release. This is part of ‘give Khadafy what he wants so we can have the oil,’ ” said Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, N.J. Her 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, was killed.
The former Libyan intelligence officer was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing on Dec. 21, 1988, and sentenced to life in prison. The airliner exploded over Scotland, and all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground died when it crashed into the town of Lockerbie.
Al-Megrahi’s conviction was largely based on the testimony of a shopkeeper who identified him as having bought a man’s shirt in his store in Malta. Scraps of the garment were later found wrapped around a timing device discovered in the wreckage of the airliner.
Critics of al-Megrahi’s conviction question the reliability of the store owner’s evidence.
He was sentenced to serve a minimum of 27 years in a Scottish prison. But a 2007 review of his case found grounds for an appeal, and many in Britain believe he is innocent. He served only eight years.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said that although al-Megrahi had not shown compassion to his victims — many of whom were American college students flying home to New York for Christmas — MacAskill was motivated by Scottish values to show mercy.
“Some hurts can never heal; some scars can never fade,” Mac Askill said. “Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. . . . However, Mr. al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power.”
