WikiLeaks: Britain feared Colonel Gaddafi could 'cut us off at the knees' unless Lockerbie bomber

Telegraph ^ | 07 Dec 2010 | Christopher Hope

[george76]

Britain feared that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi could “cut us off at the knees, just like the Swiss”, unless the Lockerbie bomber was released, leaked WikiLeaks cables show.

Sir Vincent Fean, the UK's ambassador to Tripoli at the time, also warned that continuing to hold Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi in a prison in Scotland could have “disastrous implications for British interests in Libya”.

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, 57, was jailed in 2001 for the atrocity which claimed 270 lives in 1988. He was freed on compassionate grounds in August 2009.

The warnings were contained in secret communiqués sent from US embassy staff in Tripoli in August 2009, and produced in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine.

[george76]

full title...

WikiLeaks: Britain feared Colonel Gaddafi could 'cut us off at the knees' unless Lockerbie bomber was freed

[Benchim]

This all needs to come out like the Saudis,to this day, paying Al Queada to kill our men.

[M-cubed]

LMAO....Britain cut themselves off at the knees a long time ago!!!!....THEY JUST DONT GET IT YET!

(but it explains a lot about the thinking back then and now)

Immigrants/socialism???..what IMMIGRANTS?...SOCIALISTS??

[icwhatudo]

[SevenofNine]

I got question how could you fear a dude who got his a*** kick by ex Warner Bros actor TELL ME THAT LOL!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hey, no problem. He should’ve been returned to Libya... minus his head (and mail the head back to Quaddafi via FedEx).

[ninonitti]

Nice to see business trumps principle for the UK’s Powers That Be.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Brits (at that time) forgot the rule of supply and demand. Refineries in the UK were not cut off from supply, dictated by world demand.

[dhs12345]

Especially when they are pretending to be nicey nice. We find out it is all BS. Lol.

[Reily]

England existed once and it was glorious!
Its a pale shadow now.
The shades of the heroes of that Isle from Boudica to the young Brigadier that died leading the charge on Goose Green and those that have died in Iraq & Afghanistan must be hanging their heads in shame.

[ReverendJames]

How did they think they could cover that up by saying he was released because he was dying? Compassion?

[george76]

The corrupt politicians needed a cover story

[ReverendJames]

Unfortunately that’s too true. All those people murdered and it winds up to be a political issue.

[Kenton]

I just saw a story on Fox that this POS has apparently taken a turn for the worst and is very close to paying the Reaper...

[george76]

The media has been reporting his imment death repeatedly for a long time.