Schumer Calls On British Government To Request Immediate Transfer Of Convicted Lockerbee Bomber Back To Scottish Prison Three Months After His Release

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Megrahi Was Given Compassionate Release on the Assumption He Only Had Three Months to Live

Tomorrow is Three Months to the Day Since His Release And the Terrorist is Still Alive and Free in Libya

Schumer Demands Immediate Transfer Back to Scottish Prison

On the day before the three month anniversary of the release of Abdul Al-Megrahi, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer demanded that the British government seek an immediate transfer of Megrahi back to prison since the primary condition of his so-called compassionate release was the assumption that he only had three months to live. Megrahi, the only man convicted for taking part in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 on December 21, 1988, was released by the Scottish Government last week as a compassionate gesture given Megrahi's failing health. However, three months after his release, Megrahi is still alive in Libya. Schumer today said that since he has outlived the term of his release, and there has been speculation about exaggerations of the severity of his condition, the British government should seek immediate transfer back to prison in Scotland.

"The bottom line is Megrahi should have never been released in the first place but it would be even more outrageous if he were to be able to live a long and free life after his release," Schumer said. "The victims of Pan Am Flight 103 didn't get a second chance at life and neither should Megrahi. Justice in this case was life in prison, no exceptions."

On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, enroute from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, exploded over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 on board and 11 people on the ground. Many New Yorkers and New Jersey residents were among the 189 Americans killed in the bombing. In 2001, Megrahi was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

On August 20, the Scottish Government released Megrahi, who is currently suffering from prostate cancer, believing he only had three months to live. Upon his return, thousands of young men, who had been transported by the Libyan government, gathered at the airport in Tripoli to greet the terrorist. They waved banners and threw flower petals after Megrahi was escorted from prison by Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The awful scenes of celebration were shown around the world much to the shock of the families of the victims who were forced to relive the horror of this terrorist act.

Schumer today wrote to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown asking him to direct his government to seek immediate transfer of Megrahi back to the Scottish prison to serve out the remainder of his life sentence."

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