Lockerbie detective: MacAskill was naive

THE decision to release the Lockerbie bomber has been described as "naive" and a "mistake" by the Scottish detective who led the investigation into the Pan Am atrocity.

In a dramatic intervention ahead of the justice secretary's statement to the Scottish Parliament today, Stuart Henderson – the retired senior investigating officer at the Lockerbie Incident Control Centre – also said Libya's jubilant celebrations on Thursday following the return of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who has who has terminal cancer, had "rubbed salt into the wounds" of the victims' families.

The retired officer's comments heaped further pressure on Mr MacAskill as protests from the United States intensified.

The top US military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said he was appalled at the release on compassionate grounds of the only man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, adding "this is obviously a political decision".

Warnings of a trade boycott in protest at the decision grew last night, with one US state senator calling for a bar on Scottish products, including whisky, and even on banks.

The outrage, both at home and abroad, comes as Mr MacAskill prepares to face the Scottish Parliament today. MSPs have been recalled a week early to discuss the situation.

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US protests were rebuffed by First Minister Alex Salmond, who insisted that the decision on Megrahi had not been taken to "court popularity" and reminded US authorities that it was a matter for Scots law.

While the row raged, Prime Minister Gordon Brown maintained his silence on whether he backed the decision to free Megrahi, although last night it emerged he would make the time to write to the England cricket team to congratulate them on the Ashes win.

Mr Henderson, a former detective chief superintendent with Lothian and Borders Police, who was brought in to lead the investigation, said: "It was a very unfortunate mistake to make. It should not have been handled that way and I feel sorry for Mr MacAskill's naivety about what has happened.

"We all knew he (Megrahi]would get a hero's welcome when he went back.

"It was distressing to see the Saltires being waved, that was really rubbing salt into the wounds, but that is the Libyans for you. That is how they operate. Gordon Brown should have known this would happen."

Mr Henderson spent four years leading the investigation, which took him to 47 countries. He retired in 1992 after handing over a report to the procurator-fiscal naming Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifa Fhimah, who was later acquitted. Mr Henderson, 69, and Richard Marquise, the FBI special agent in charge of the US task force, had written to Mr MacAskill urging him not to release Megrahi.

Yesterday Mr Henderson said: "I think the only possible thing was to consider the grief caused to the families involved and to think of the lives of the 270 victims first before thinking about the criminal, who is now unwell."

Conspiracy theorists who insist Megrahi was innocent and that evidence was tampered with "make my blood boil", Mr Henderson said.

"It is an insult to our police officers. It's an insult to the Americans, to the Germans, to the Swiss and the Maltese officers.

"We visited 47 countries in the course of this investigation. We had officers working for four years. People think there is some doubt and they want to know who was behind it and who sponsored it?

"Up until now we have not been able to speak because there was an ongoing appeal and even if you are a retired officer it is not your place. But I would hope now that people will listen. We have nothing to hide. It has been very frustrating listening to all this nonsense.

"As a police officer you don't take sides, you follow the evidence and report what you find and if you don't find enough evidence then you report that. Let's be clear. He was convicted and then he was convicted again after an appeal.

"Are we saying eight Scottish high court judges don't know what they are talking about?"

He was supported yesterday by John Crawford, a fellow detective, who said: "I think the compassion angle was all wrong. It was inevitable that people would use it against the decision he made as it was so obvious that Megrahi did not show one jot of compassion when he cold bloodedly went about his business of killing 270 innocent people."

Across the Atlantic, there was a call for an inquiry into whether the Scottish justice secretary had been lobbied by US politicians to free Megrahi.

Admiral Mullen's remarks follow an unprecedented attack from FBI director Robert Mueller, who told the justice secretary he was "outraged" at the release of Megrahi, saying it made a mockery of the law and gave comfort to terrorists.

In London, UK ministers expressed concern that the deepening row could damage wider British-US relations.

Jim Knight, the employment minister, said: "I hope there is no fallout from this for Scotland, and I hope there is no fallout from this for the UK in terms of our relationship with the US."

Mr Salmond yesterday shrugged off the threat of a boycott of Scottish products, saying he was confident that strong ties between Scotland and the US would prevail.

It had been the "right decision" made for the "right reasons", he insisted.

"The relationship between Scotland and the United States is strong, it is enduring, it is deep, and it cannot be based on always finding agreement. The relationship will resume because it is fundamental to Scotland and fundamental to the United States, whatever the hurt and the disagreements at the present moment."

As Downing Street continued its silence over the Lockerbie affair, Mr Salmond suggested that Westminster had played a role in the release of Megrahi. "There were clearly recommendations and consultations given on prisoner transfer and that is on public record," he said.

UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who will from tomorrow stand in for the Prime Minister while he continues his holiday, had discussions with Mr Salmond over the agreement.

He will come under intense pressure to reveal the UK government's position on the release decision.

Mr Salmond said his justice secretary had not invited the two applications, one for prisoner transfer and one for compassionate release.

It also emerged that Mr Brown had discussed the case with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi nearly six weeks ago at a G8 summit in Italy.

The Gaddafi regime's ties to the UK government also pointed back to Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.

Lord Mandelson had met Col Gaddafi's son, Saif il-Islam Gaddafi, during his holiday in Corfu while his other wealthy friends, including Nat Rothschild, had celebrated the leader-in-waiting's 37th birthday.

Mr Salmond also came under fire over the weekend from his Labour predecessor, Jack McConnell, who accused the SNP government of a "grave error of judgment" that had damaged Scotland's reputation.