Freed Lockerbie bomber returns to cheering crowds in Libya, outraging victims' relatives

[SpikeTss]

Source: Newser

Obama warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.

Despite the warning, thousands of young men were on hand at a Tripoli airport where al-Megrahi's plane touched down. Some threw flower petals as he stepped from the plane. He wore a a dark suit and a burgundy tie and appeared visibly tired.

He was accompanied by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, who was dressed in a traditional white robe and golden embroidered vest. The son pledged last year to bring al-Megrahi home and raised his hand victoriously to the crowd as he exited the plane. They then sped off in a convoy of white sedans.

...

Al-Megrahi's release disgusted many victims' relatives.

"You get that lump in your throat and you feel like you're going to throw up," said Norma Maslowski, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, whose 30-year-old daughter, Diane, died in the attack.

"This isn't about compassionate release. This is part of give-Gadhafi-what-he-wants-so-we-can-have-the-oil," said Susan Cohen, of Cape May Court House, New Jersey. Her 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, was killed.

...

Gadhafi engineered a rapprochement with his former critics following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He renounced terrorism, dismantled Libya's secret nuclear program, accepted his government's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.

Western energy companies _ including Britain's BP PLC _ have moved into Libya in an effort to tap the country's vast oil and gas wealth.

Read more: http://www.newser.com/article/d9a732rg0/freed-lockerbie-bomber-returns-to-cheering-crowds-in-libya-outraging-victims-relatives.html

[deep1]

1. Many of them........

really hate America. It's largely due to our unwavering support of Israel, a nation that oppresses their Muslim brothers.

[saigon68]

4. I don't think thats the reason

Its not about supporting Israel.

Its about wanting to kill every Jew they see, because the Jews are seen by them as Bugs who have to be squashed.

Its scapegoating by their leaders to distract the masses from the evil these thug leaders inflict on the planet.

[Violet_Crumble]

13. Are you guys in some competition to come up with the most stupid reason?

Were you being sarcastic or something? It's just that what you posted was so stupid that it'd be hard to believe anyone would come out with something like that seriously. The article mentioned that the reason for the cheering crowds is that many people in Libya think he's innocent. I don't agree with anyone who thinks he's innocent, and I don't think he should have been released on compassionate grounds, but the ugliness and hatred of Libyans and Muslims displayed by a few posters in this thread is really repulsive...

[deep1]

24. Who are you talking to, Violet?

The muslim world is largely angry at America for supporting Israel, a country that oppresses Palestinians. Are you saying I have a hatred of muslims, because if you think that, you are so damn ignorant. Watch yourself.

[saigon68]

25. I didn't know that you are I were in some kind of competition

Wow. what an angry response I got from that poster. and I always liked that Poster--- Oh well ?

[Violet_Crumble]

27. Sorry if I've upset you, but what you said in yr post was pretty hateful and angry....

It'd be just as nasty as someone appearing in a thread and announcing that *they* (when they mean Jews or Israelis) want to kill all Arabs because they think they're nothing but bugs and they hate all Arabs so much. Apart from being totally untrue, it's also a very ugly smear against an entire group of people. Maybe you were being sarcastic, or maybe I've misunderstood what yr saying. If so, I apologise...

[saigon68]

32. Meant to be sarcastic

To a point sorry-----

[Violet_Crumble]

40. I'm sorry that I misread you, Saigon...

Sorry :)

[Violet_Crumble]

26. The ones who were ranting about how hateful Muslims are...

You weren't doing that, but I do totally disagree that the response of the crowds in Libya to the freeing of the Lockerbie bomber has anything to do with Israel or even the US. They think the guy was innocent. It's got nothing to do with anything else...

[ohio2007]

44. but why does the media refuse to interview these "citizens" of Libya of their opinion?

imo, they were Ghadaffy "plants" and there to put a favorite chosen son photo op work for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iFDsHxf3VI&NR=1

I'm guessing only embassy officials ( which has only until recently reopened ) will read the local "state controlled" papers and get that "Man on the street" spin.

Doubt much of it will play out on twitter like the Iranian election link did but you have to avoid western MSM and hope some tiny group will post a few tid bits of real stories of interest.

I know thats asking toooo much but the search goes on.

[CalvinandHobbes]

5. As opposed to the Muslims...

...who just want to live in peace with Israel.

[northernlights]

6. maybe they hate America because we are hateful and they didn't do it

We were waging proxy war, via our frien...er, enemy next door, Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

All W's yelling about how Iraq gassed its own people? Where do you think Iraq got that gas? We supplied it to them during the Iran/Iraq war.

I feel terrible for the 270 innocent civilians who died at Lockerby, and their families.

I also feel terrible for the 290 innocent civilians we shot down in our war by proxy with Iran.

And once again I get to remember how ashamed I am sometimes to be a citizen of this "great" country.

And I just can't get past my hate for the Bush family...moreso than Reagan. I think he was just a tired old actor with Alzheimers. I really don't think he had a clue what was going on right under his nose.

[CalvinandHobbes]

9. What country would you be proud to be a citizen of?

[cigsandcoffee]

22. In this story, Scotland releases a guy who killes almost 300 people....

Libya gives him a hero's welcome...

...and what you take from it is that you're deeply ashamed of the United States?

[old mark]

7. ...their Muslim brothers who want to kill all the Jews

You mean those Muslim brothers, right?
The suicide bombers and airline hijackers, etc?

Just trying to clarify....


mark

[EFerrari]

8. Many of "them", like many of us, think this man was scapegoated.

[cali]

18. oh for pete's sake.. yeah, it has nothing to do with U.S. wars against Muslim countries.

And btw, as anyone with a modicum of knowledge realizes, many Muslim nations, particularly in the mideast oppress their own citizens- not to mention Palestinians- themselves.

[JI7]

28. if they cared about their Muslim brothers they would protest Iran, Saudi ARabia, ETC

[bluestateguy]

2. Hopefully the Mossad will take care of this asshole

and in a way that preserves their, uh, deniability.

[Sherman A1]

12. Isn't he dying of cancer?

Which is as I understand the given reason for his release to go home (I understand the British oil interests might have had a bit to do with that as well). I suspect that one need only wait for the end.

[Selatius]

3. Pam Am 103 was blown up after the US warship USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian passenger jet.

Iranian Air Flight 655 was shot down over the Persian Gulf on 3 July 1988 by the warship USS Vincennes. All 290 on board died, which included 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.

A snippet from this book:

"I will never apologize for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are," said VP George H.W. Bush in response to the atrocity. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher weighed in to support the U.S. The destruction of the passenger plane, she said, was "understandable."

-- The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk

Pan Am 103 was blown up on 21 December 1988, five months later. 270 people died in the bombing.

Coincidence?

[SpikeTss]

20. I've heard about this conspiracy theory and I strongly believe it's exactly that:

A conspiracy theory.

You can easily follow the Libyan trail of bombs down to the tragic events in Lockerbie.
Remember when Libya ordered a Berlin disco to be bombed where our soldiers relaxed from daily
work and how Gadhafi personally called the Libyan embassy in Berlin to congratulate them
for the murders? I remember seeing this in the news at that time.

Gadhafi and his family have become more dangerous over time, but he has learned to sell
himself better due to the money they have now.

[steaa]

10. As said before... there is great doubt over his guilt and is no doubt in Libya believed innocent.

Its not a simple cut and dry case.

Many of the British victims, led by Dr Jim Swire (whos daughter was killed) do not believe al Megrahi to be guilty and are still seeking the truth. However the American families seem convinced of his guilt.

[Dover]

11. Just the price of doing biz in the global competition for Libya's oil/gas. Oil for arms.

Russia was putting a great deal of pressure on the US/European future oil/gas supply by cozying up to Libya and making deals, thus creating some bargaining leverage for Libya.
It was interesting that shortly after Hillary's fairly recent visit to
Libya that this prisoner release thing came out...just one result.



Libya Coming Closer to Russia

Saturday, 2 August 2008

On 31 July 2008, Libya's Prime Minister, Al-Mahmoud visited Russia in order to strengthen energy ties between two countries. This visit was an alarm for Europe, because Europe has worried about increasing dependence on Russian oil.

Before the negotiations among these countries, Al-Mahmoud had stated that "We would like to achieve bigger volumes in investment cooperation between Russia and Libya in the oil and gas sectors.

Libya, since 2003, has become an attractive market for both Russia and the West when the UN Security Council lifted sanctions against the country.

The other important side of this negotiation was concretization of Tripoli summit.

After Tripoli Summit which realized at 18 April 2008, Moscow wrote off $ 4.5 billion of Libya's debt in return for contracts going to Russia firms.

On the other hand, gas export monopoly of Russia, Gazprom, during the Tripoli summit showed that its interest locates participating in construction of pipeline which is between Libya and Europe.

Additionally, these agreements also show that Libyan Leader Gaddafi wants to balance this country's relation with the West through these special relations with Russia.

Cont'd
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/58159/libya-coming-closer-to-russia.html

----


Al-Megrahi’s release ‘would free BP’ to join the rush for Libya’s oil


....Dr Bassam Fattouh, an expert on the Libyan oil industry at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, added that Libya, which was opened up to foreign companies after sanctions were lifted in 2003, had proved to be a “difficult business environment” for BP and other companies. “BP was having difficulty getting heavy equipment into the country,” he said. However, BP denied that it had faced anything more than routine problems in Libya. A spokesman said that the company was very happy with progress so far.
BP is not the only company that appears to have experienced problems in Libya, which holds 42 billion barrels of oil reserves, the largest in Africa, and is seen as a potential alternative to Russia as a supplier of gas to Western Europe. Tripoli is currently obstructing the sale of a Canadian oil company with Libyan interests, Verenex, to a Chinese company. BG, another British company exploring in Libya that is thought to have experienced similar issues, declined to comment.

The close ties between politics and the oil industry in Libya, where 95 per cent of export revenues are from oil and gas, are irrefutable.

Shokri Ghanem, chairman of the National Oil Co (NOC) and the country’s most senior oilman, is the former Prime Minister. In 2004, he provoked international outrage by claiming that his country had no involvement in the murder of the British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher or the Lockerbie bombing. NOC is now BP’s partner in the country and Mr Ghanem was the executive who signed the 2007 deal with BP’s chief executive, Tony Hayward, in the presence of Tony Blair, then Prime Minister.

Al-Megrahi’s release also comes amid a highly delicate battle for influence over Tripoli between Russia and the West. It is a struggle tied to billions of dollars worth of oil and arms deals, which could shape Europe’s energy security for years to come.

Nick Day, a former MI5 officer who now runs Diligence, a political risk consultancy, said that a “competitive courtship” is under way between British, US and Russian interests to tap Libya’s oil and gas wealth. Russia, already the world’s biggest gas producer, is keen to exert greater control over Europe’s alternative supplies of the fuel and has been using its willingness to export weapons to Libya as leverage to secure energy deals and other concessions from Tripoli, he said.

“The Russians have been very aggressive in their negotiations because what Gaddafi needs right now are weapons. He still can’t get Western governments to sell to him, but the Russians are prepared to do it on the back of oil deals.”

Last year President Putin visited Tripoli...cont'd

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6797118.ece

[dipsydoodle]

14. ...just one result.

The background to that , apparently , was to get him to scrub his appeal against conviction. The reason for that is that it is believed that on appeal a miscarriage of justice would undoubtably have been the result due to evidence being withheld from the defence in the original trial. Granting the appeal itself had been delayed by one of the judges being sick and they urgently needed to preempt his return to health. Hilary may not have allowed for the fact that the Scottish Courts are no longer under the "control" of Westminster and so may not have foreseen that he would be set free anyway. Other than that anything subsequently said by Hils or Obama is probably just for public show.

[ohio2007]

15. Al-Megrahi’s release ‘would free BP’ to join the rush for Libya’s oil

The prosecution maintained al Megrahi, who worked at Malta's Luqa Airport, was an agent for the Libyan intelligence services and had been seen buying clothes that were in the suitcase that contained the bomb.

Libya has formally accepted responsibility for the bombing and has compensated the families, though Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi later denied any culpability.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/20/scotland.lockerbie.bomber/index.html

Like Egyptian and North Korean leaders, Gadhafi is also grooming his son to replace him and I think all those who received compensation from Libya are the only ones upset about the release
:sarcasm:

imo, it seems to be a moot point. He got his home town heroes welcome.

snip


President Barack Obama said the Scottish decision to free terminally ill Abdel Baset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a mistake and said he should be under house arrest. Obama warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.
Despite the warning, at the military airport in Tripoli where al-Megrahi's plane touched down thousands of youths were on hand to warmly greet him. He left the plane wearing a dark suit and a tie and accompanied by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi. They immediately sped off in a convoy of all-white vehicles.


snip



Gadhafi engineered a rapprochement with his former critics following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He renounced terrorism, dismantled Libya's secret nuclear program, accepted his government's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.

snip

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9A6QHU81&show_article=1&catnum=0

never mind the string of bombings throughout europe that led to a Libyan connection going all the way back to Anwar Sadat assassination and the boarding of cruise ships in the Med, EU needs oil !

Amr El-Kahky, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tripoli, said al-Megrahi did not attend main celebrations in the city, but there were rumors as to the reason why.



"A lot of people will tell you his health is really ailing and he did not go to the public party in downtown Tripoli.

"Others will tell you it must be the pressure from the United States and other countries who are really angry that al-Megrahi has been released and they want to see very little of him on the street," he said.

Barack Obama, the US president, described the release as a "mistake" and said that al-Megrahi should be placed under house arrest on his return.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/08/200982172727265928.html

Yes, the claim that evidence was manipulated to scapegoat this 'poor old chap' would reveal and invoke the term "diplomatic immunity" and snuff out any real investigation under those rights and privileges.

[ShortnFiery]

16. Gadhafi is a corrupt thug ... but he's OUR corrupt thug.

:puke:

[Doctor_J]

17. They can cheer again in a few weeks when he's dead

:eyes:

[ohio2007]

34. Actually, I wonder if the will chant "Death to the UK and America" + seek revenge during hate week

no justice no peace. I'm sure that at least it won't be reported much.

[CJCRANE]

19. It's kind of interesting

that no one has been convicted of direct involvement in 9/11 or 7/7 and the only guy convicted for Lockerbie has been released.

[Ian David]

21. Good job negotiating with Libya, John McCain!

In case anyone wasn't sure, that was sarcasm.

And I'm sure that nobody with terminal cancer would ever decide to become a suicide bomber.

[ohio2007]

35. You mean John "Mac Cain" ( it's a Scottish compasionate release news story)

:sarcasm:

[proteus_lives]

23. Disgusting!

No doubt he'll be celebrated as "hero" who struck a blow against all those imperialist civilians.

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Violet_Crumble]

29. Did you bother reading the OP? It said why people were celebrating his return...

It's because they think he's innocent. Maybe you should put aside a minute or two to read the OP?

[ohio2007]

36. because they "think" he's innocent make him innocent. ( the glove don't fit )

Richard Colvin Reid (born 12 August 1973<1>, also known as Abdul Raheem
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,203478,00.html





just sayin

[Violet_Crumble]

39. Of course it doesn't make him innocent and I didn't say it did....

But the reason for his return being celebrated is because people in Libya do think he's innocent.

[ohio2007]

43. Libya's Megrahi plans tell-all book ( yes, a book deal that will have to be proof read by ghadaffy

of course, the truth will be on sale for all to buy into it. This is "the evidence" he is producing to prove his innocence

Libya's Megrahi plans tell-all book

Megrahi to write auto-biography to 'proclaim his innocence', argue he was framed for Lockerbie bombing.


LONDON - Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi is planning to write an auto-biography to "proclaim his innocence" by disclosing new information behind Britain's deadliest terrorist attack, a report said Monday.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi was working on the book that would detail his life behind bars and reveal all he knows about the 1988 bombing that killed 270 people, the Times said."He'll be writing a book to proclaim his innocence," said Libya's official envoy to Scotland, Abdurrhman Swessi.The newspaper said Megrahi's lawyers had collected information for an appeal in the Scottish courts before his release on compassionate grounds last week.

The book is expected to be used as Megrahi's platform to argue that he was framed for the crime.

Scotland's justice minister decided to release ailing Megrahi from prison on compassionate grounds last Thursday, sparking a furious reaction from the United States.

snip

Megrahi and co-accused Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah were handed over by Libya for trial after years of diplomatic wrangling. The pair were originally indicted in 1991 for the attack following an investigation by British and US police.

snip

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/libya/?id=33856

I don't need a book to tell me he was innocent and framed



:sarcasm:

[truebrit71]

30. That fucker should already have been dead...

...

[IndianaGreen]

31. The truth may not be what we think it was

Lockerbie: Will the truth ever come out?

Friday 21 August 2009
Paddy McGuffin

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi's release on compassionate grounds, although welcomed by many campaigners in Britain, means we are no further forward in terms of establishing the truth regarding the Lockerbie bombing.

For many, Megrahi was a convenient scapegoat, deflecting attention away from a wealth of evidence which would bring into question the official version of events.

<snip>

In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, investigations centred on Iran, Syria and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) - the secular resistance group founded by George Habash.

Three weeks before the Lockerbie bombing, German anti-terror officers arrested Marwan Khreesat, a known bomb-maker with links to the PFLP. He was released, apparently due to lack of evidence, but in April 1989 further raids discovered two more bombs designed by Khreesat, both of which were specifically made for targeting aircraft.

Among those arrested were a number of Palestinians with links to the PFLP-GC.

PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril was at that time under the protection of Syria.

It has been suggested that Jibril was assigned the Lockerbie bombing by the Iranian regime in revenge for the shooting down of an Iranian Airbus passenger plane by the USS Vincennes earlier in 1988 with the loss of 290 lives.

During the German arrests, a Toshiba tape-recorder packed with Semtex was discovered. Pieces of a similar model recorder were discovered among the Lockerbie debris. One of the Palestinian group, Abu Talb, is known to have been in Malta shortly before the bombing.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/features/Lockerbie-Will-the-truth-ever-come-out

[DU GrovelBot]

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[panzerfaust]

37. Hero Returns to Libya

Lockerbie fury grows as Gaddafi meets bomber Megrahi

British embarassment over jubilant return of freed man to Libya, while Washington expresses 'disgust' ...

... Gaddafi ... heaped praise on Scotland, his "friend Gordon Brown", the Queen and Prince Andrew ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/22/gaddafi-meets-megrahi-lockerbie-bombing

Way to go Gordo! (UK PM Brown)

[ohio2007]

38. Swiss president apologises to Libya people ( for arresting Gadaffys son )

Swiss president apologises to Libya people

Hans-Rudolf Merz apologies for 'unjust arrest' of Libyan diplomats by Geneva police.


By Imed Lamloum - TRIPOLI

Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz apologised to the Libyan people on Thursday over the arrest in Geneva a year ago of a son of Libyan leader Moamer Gathafi.

"I express to the Libyan people my apologies for the unjust arrest of Libyan diplomats by Geneva police," Merz said in English at a joint news conference in Tripoli with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmudi.

Hannibal Gathafi and his pregnant wife were arrested in a luxury Geneva hotel on July 15, 2008 after two servants claimed they had been mistreated.

snip
The complaint was dropped after a lawyer for their servants -- a Moroccan and a Tunisian -- said they had received compensation.

In October, Libya responded by suspending oil deliveries to Switzerland, withdrawing assets worth an estimated five billion euros from Swiss banks, ending bilateral cooperation programmes and placing restrictions on Swiss companies

snip

""Today I have fulfilled my mission and achieved my goals of wiping the slate clean of last year's incident and opening the Libyan market" to Swiss firms once again, he said after more than a year of strained relations.

It is a satisfying outcome for me."

snip

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/libya/?id=33813

Hmmmmm. extra cushy knee pads ?

[and-justice-for-all]

41. You do realize that Europe is not into long term lock up like the States..

there are some I am sure who are long term prisoners, but the overall approach that they take is "Rehabilitation". That is why The Netherlands has no more prisons.

Unlike the States, where it is a goal to fill your prison to the max for profit, with no concern for rehabilitating the person. They want them there for as long as possible, because they make money off of that person.

[ButterflyBlood]

42. Some people are unrehabilatable

Jeffrey Dahmer comes to mind. Would it have been better if he had been let out prior to his death? What if bin Laden is captured and imprisoned?

[ohio2007]

45. Gadhafi wants to pitch tent in NJ, town during his UN visit ( town lost 33 in Lockerbie)

dunno if true but...
the shoe still fits the mad dog to a tee.

Gadhafi wants to pitch tent in NJ, town says no

ENGLEWOOD — ENGLEWOOD, N.J. — When Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi comes to the United Nations next month, he wants to pitch his special air-conditioned tent on a lawn in New Jersey, a proposal that has outraged neighbors and added insult to injury in a state that lost 33 residents in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Residents of the New York suburb are riled by reports that Gadhafi may stay in a Bedouin tent on a Libyan-owned estate there and would prefer that he set up shop elsewhere, said Rep. Steve Rothman, whose congressional district includes Englewood.
"Gadhafi is a dangerous dictator whose hands are covered with the blood of Americans and our allies," Rothman said, promising there would be "hell to pay" if the State Department violated a deal barring the dictator from staying at the Libyan estate.
Department officials said Monday that no decision has been made on where Gadhafi will set up shop.

snip

.... the city learned the Libyan mission to the United Nations had bought the Palisade Avenue estate. Local officials worked out a deal with the State Department limiting its use to the recreational activities by the ambassador and his family, Rothman said. The Libyans don't pay taxes on it.

Gadhafi's upcoming U.N. appearance culminates a years-long effort to rehabilitate the Libyan strongman's international image, which has included denouncing weapons of mass destruction. He has ruled the oil-rich North African nation since 1969.

snip
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090824/STATE/90824076/0/ENTERTAINMENT/Gadhafi-wants-to-pitch-tent-in-NJ--town-says-no

Wonder if he still drives his John Deere tracter 60 mph in the Libyan desert ?




Biography
1942: Born in a tent in the Libyan desert to a Bedouin family.
1956: Attends school in Sebha. During his years here, he formed the network which he would use to stage the coup 13 years later.
snip

http://lexicorient.com/e.o/gadhafi.htm