Freed Lockerbie Bomber Al-Megrahi Dies
The former Libyan intelligence agent convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, who was released from prison for humanitarian reasons, has died.
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, 59, died Sunday in Libya after suffering from prostate cancer. He was released from a Scottish prison and returned to Libya in 2008 after his lawyers said he would soon die of the disease; his doctors had given him three months to live.
The downing of the Pan Am flight killed all 270 passengers and crew, most of them Americans. It was one of the deadliest terror attacks ever.
Al-Megrahi received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Libya, which angered the families of his victims.
Al-Megrahi proclaimed his innocence until his death. He died at home surrounded by his family, according to reports.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO