Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling for the United States to put a new condition on aid to the new government in Libya: Extradite convicted Pan-Am Flight 103 bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.
“If the new Libyan government continues to shield this convicted terrorist from justice, then they should not get one more cent of support from the United States,” said Schumer, NBC reports.
“We put American lives and money on the line to help the Libyan people secure their freedom. It’s time the Libyan government lives up to its commitment to create a free and accountable society by handing over al-Megrahi so that justice can finally be done.”
Megrahi — who was convicted in 1988 of murdering 270 people, 259 aboard the bombed flight plus 11 people who were killed on the ground by falling debris in Lockerbie, Scotland — was freed from prison in 2009 by the Scottish government, officially on the humanitarian grounds that he was said to be dying of prostate cancer. Megrahi then returned to Libya, and received a public welcome from the Qaddafi regime.
Two years later, Megrahi is still alive. Recent reports have suggested that his health is again failing, but Schumer has questioned the credibility of such news.
Many of the victims onboard the plane were Americans from the New York area, and thus Megrahi’s release has been a prominent political issue for members of the state’s Congressional delegation.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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