Predictably, a senior member of the WarParty has used the occasion to buff up his credentials.
"...Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) on Wednesday issued the following statement regarding the Scottish government's decision to release Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence agent convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, from prison:
"Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was convicted of killing 270 innocent people after a fair trial and was given ample opportunities to appeal his case. The man who committed these awful crimes should not be allowed to walk free. The Pan Am 103 victims deserve compassion – not Mr. al-Megrahi.
Releasing Mr. al-Megrahi also sends the wrong message about the consequences of international terrorism and increases the threat of terror in the United States, the United Kingdom and around the world."
The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 caused the deaths of 270 people-including 189 Americans. In 2001, following a trial in the Netherlands al-Megrahi was convicted of the crime and sentenced to a minimum prison sentence of 27 years in Scotland.
On August 17, 2009, Lautenberg wrote a letter with the support of six of his Senate colleagues to Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill calling for Abdel Basset al-Megrahi to remain in a Scottish prison and complete his sentence...
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/international/lautenberg-condemns-decision-to-release-lockerbie-bomber-from-prison
Comrade Stalin
