Megrahi, the only person found guilty of blowing up a US Boeing 747 airliner in 1988 and killing 270 people, said earlier he was ''very relieved'' to be freed, but described his original conviction as a ''disgrace''
Posted on 08/20/2009 3:53:54 PM PDT by SJackson
The United States is warning Libya not to make a hero out of the terminally-ill Libyan, convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing, who was allowed to return home Thursday by Scottish authorities. The Obama administration says the decision to release Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was a profound mistake.
The United States is expressing deep disappointment and regret over the Scottish decision to release the Lockerbie bombing figure, and it has warned Libya not to make a hero of the convicted terrorist or face unspecified consequences in bilateral relations.
The decision by Scottish authorities to release Megrahi, said to be near death from prostate cancer, on compassionate grounds had been widely expected, and both the White House and State Department expressed regret over the move.
President Obama, in a radio interview, said the United States believes the release was a mistake and has conveyed that to the Scottish authorities - while telling the Libyan government Megrahi should not be welcomed back in any way and should be put under house arrest.
P.J. Crowley (file) At a news briefing here, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley said justice has not been served but rather undermined by the release, which he said sets a poor example for a world community trying to combat terrorism.
"What we're mostly concerned about is the mixed message that this sends in terms of those who have in the past, or those who might contemplate in the future, acts of political violence," said P.J. Crowley. "And that's why we have said very firmly and very strongly that as a perpetrator of one of the most heinous acts in recent history, that he should serve out his sentence and not be released."
In 2001, a special Scottish court convened in the Netherlands convicted Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence agent, of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people.
A senior official who spoke to reporters here said the United States conveyed its dismay over the release to officials of both the British goverment and Scottish regional administration. He said while Scottish legal authorities were within their rights to free the Libyan, the U.S. views it as a profound mistake.
The official said Libyan diplomats were told Thursday in both Washington and Tripoli that Megrahi is not entitled to a hero's welcome, either now or in connection with Libya's national day observance on September first.
He said U.S. officials have told Libyan authorities the way he is treated will, in his words, potentially affect our future relationship.
Of course this terrorist is terminal, as in a sense we all are.
And you need to warn them before they make him a hero, not after his hero's welcome
Free Manson!!!!
Sorry, already photo’s of the hero landing home on FoxNews.
Thanks Sec. Clinton for your support and concern.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
..................
I admit his incompetence is entertaining in some ways. But he speaks for America, and projects weakness. Someone, please, someone, Hillary, Rahm, anyone, tell him this minor incident is lose, so STFU.
Obama criticizing other governments for releasing terrorists????
Pot meet Kettle.
About as hawkish as Obama has gotten to date, and it’s moot.
If you tell someone “or else” you had better have something to back up the “or else” or you look weak
My thought too, but I've never been a community organizer. I suspect you haven't either. We don't understand intimidation of the organizer kind. And the Organizer in Chief doesn't understand that Khadafi doesn't give a you know what about his yammering. Nor do any of our enemies.
Yes. Do you think we'll have to send money to the Bermuda Uigers when the hurricane hits.
Me? I’m switching to Bourbon.
Obama has a secretary named Clinton? What a coincidence.
On a more serious note, she has to be steaming at the Richardson-North Korean meeting.
A stern letter to the New York Slimes will have the same effect
What has been conveniently forgotten in all the stories is the reason that Scotland released this animal.....the Muslim population is so large in parts of Scotland that whole cities are controlled by the Koran(or Queran or Coran or Coriam, however they want to spell it this week).
Scottish officials were scared out of their kilts to refuse is release.
This is just another incident in which we see what mainstream Muslims think of us. Compassion sure goes a long ways toward reconciling Islam with the West, doesn't it.
Megrahi, the only person found guilty of blowing up a US Boeing 747 airliner in 1988 and killing 270 people, said earlier he was ''very relieved'' to be freed, but described his original conviction as a ''disgrace''
...or else Obama will stomp his feet and go ‘wee wee wee’ all the way home.
When you take a job under your political enemy and not expect them to make you the fool, ya get what ya deserve.
Scotland's justice minister, Kenny MacAskill screwed up bigtime.
In Scotland there is a village missing their idiot because they made him a judge.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.