This is an post I made to Allvoices: http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3999580-was-almegrahi-even-guilty
Was al-Megrahi even guilty? The Lockerbie bombing was without doubt a horrible act of terrorism. Given that al-Megrahi was found guilty of that act it is hardly surprising that there is outrage at his release and the celebration in Libya at his return. However there does not seem to be much compassion shown by commentators given that Megrahi is dying of cancer. Apparently compassion is only for the innocent. In all this passionate coverage I have not seen a single article that suggests that Megrahi might be innocent and that part of the picture is that he is being released because he was a scapegoat and sacrificed by Libya in order to improve relations with the rest of the world. After all Libya turned over voluntarily Megrahi and another Libyan (found innocent). There have always been those who thought that the whole affair was fishy and that there were other suspects not well investigated. Some of the key evidence against Megrahi was cooked up. Megrahi has always denied his innocence and he continues to do so while he is dying. He was making a second appeal of his sentence which he dropped and subsequently he was granted this release. You won't find this even mentioned in mainstream reports. In fact I have not even seen a recent report about all this that mentions the fact he might not be guilty! Why? It is not just kooks who think this. Even a few of the relatives of victims have had suspicions. There are even some reports that Abu Nidal might have been involved." This article is from October 2008." Prof. Black and MP Dalyell were instrumental in convincing the Libyan govt. to turn over Megrahi for trial. ""CAMPAIGNERS yesterday renewed calls for the United States to answer fresh questions over a Lockerbie bombing suspect. Former Labour MP Tam Dalyell and Edinburgh law professor Robert Black urged the Scottish and UK governments to answer reports there is evidence Abu Nidal was a US agent. They have long believed Abu Nidal, who died in Iraq in 2002, and his Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command were responsible for co-ordinating the bomb that blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988 with the loss of 270 lives."".......................... He said the claims that Abu Nidal was working for the Americans would explain some of the mysteries that surrounded the Lockerbie outrage. These included a notice that went up at the American embassy in Moscow warning diplomats not to travel on Pan Am flights, and senior South African figures being "hauled off" the plane before its final flight. ............ Added to that is the mystery over why then prime minister Margaret Thatcher overruled her transport secretary, Cecil Parkinson, and stopped a public inquiry into the attack. It has been claimed this was because the US administration did not want an inquiry. In a joint statement issued yesterday, Mr Dalyell and Prof Black said: "If the American public had known of a link with Abu Nidal, and had known that the US government knew enough to pull VIPs off the plane and let home-going students take their place, there would have been fury at a time of transition between the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush Snr. Mr Dalyell and Prof Black - who with Lockerbie relative Dr Jim Swire persuaded the Libyan government to hand over Megrahi for trial - said they were "deeply and personally concerned" about the Libyan, who is suffering from cancer. "" This is just the tip of the iceberg. Even reading the above article should be enough to make one very suspicious of the whole trial process but there is much more if anyone bothered to do the least research. So it is not surprising that in Africa at least there are articles that are sympathetic to the reception given to Megrahi in Libya. There he is regarded as an innocent who was sacrificed to improve relations between Libya and the rest of world. Consider these aspects of the case: ""Confirming the Libyan spy's innocence on July 18, 2007, Ulrich Lumpert, one of the chief witnesses at his trial gives credibility to al-Megrahi's claims. Mr. Lumbert confesses. "I lied in my testimony about the Lockerbie bombing," he says in a statement published on Mebo's website. Mebo was Lumbert's employer at the time. The company was accused of having sold the timing device that was used in the Libyan attack. According to the former Swiss engineer, he stole and handed a fragment of the device to the Scottish investigation. The timing device was possibly the most crucial piece of evidence proving the involvement of Libyans in the terrorist act. Edwin Bollier, co-founder of Mebo, in an interview with RFI in 2007 said he was convinced "that this piece of evidence was meant to help with the accusation against Libya." "They wanted them found guilty for political reasons but the timing device was intentionally added ... to the exhibits," he had said. In fact, Mr. Bollier confirms that though his company exclusively provided the timing device to Libya, that particular type of timing device had not been sold to any of their customers because they were defective. They had therefore remained in the company's reserves until Lumbert snatched one out. "" Libya at the time was an international pariah and although other groups such as Palestinians, and Syrians, and even the CIA-- to try to implacate such groups-- were suspects. There was also suspicion directed against Libya which at the time was suffering from sanctions. In order to placate the international community Ghadaffi turned over Megrahi and another Libyan. He even paid compensation to Lockerbie victims after Megrahi was found guilty even though he probably believed Megrahi to be innocent. 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