Leader: Lockerbie: there is little doubt where blame lies

Published on Monday 3 October 2011 22:18

ABDELBASET Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi undoubtedly has a lot more to say about the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. But judging by his statement and his appearance yesterday, he may not long have the opportunity.

Indeed, there was a perfect opportunity through a Reuters agency interview yesterday to deny any involvement in the bombing, which claimed 270 lives, and to draw attention to the radically different accounts of who was really responsible for the Pan-Am flight.

Instead, what he apparently said was the West “exaggerated” his involvement – if so, hardly the ringing denial some of his apologists would have hoped for or expected. As has long been suspected, it seems to confirm his involvement at the very least as part of a team rather than a mastermind.

The extent of his guilt may be at issue, but it is now barely credible to deny any involvement. Indeed, he accepted his guilt when he withdrew his appeal against conviction and the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi agreed to pay damages. He has also enjoyed the protection of the Gaddafi regime up to its final hours. Megrahi, who served for years as an intelligence officer, added yesterday that “the facts [about the Lockerbie bombing] will become clear one day and hopefully in the near future. In a few months from now, you will see new facts that will be announced.”

We will see. But while there may be more to come out in the story of this murderous saga than has yet emerged, there can be little doubt that the chain of events led back to a Libyan leader now overthrown by his own people.