Was convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi released for “compassionate” reasons, or was it a business deal?
The claim was made by Seif al Islam, the son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi, in a television interview filmed as Megrahi was flown home.
“In all commercial contracts, for oil and gas with Britain, (Megrahi) was always on the negotiating table,” he said.
“All British interests were linked to the release of Abdelbaset al Megrahi.”
The claim was immediately rejected by the Foreign Office, and was followed by an angry response from the Business Secretary.
“It’s not only completely wrong to make such a suggestion it’s also quite offensive,” Lord Mandelson said.
Ed Morrissey has more on the subject, including information suggesting this had been in the works for some time. But not to worry, the British are thinking about cancelling Prince Charles’s trip to Libya to celebrate 40 years of a Gaddafi dictatorship.
