Lockerbie Bomber Set Free

In a humanitarian move, the UK has released the terminally ill man believed to have placed the bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 270.

The White House, which has urged Britain to keep al Megrahi behind bars, said it "deeply regrets" the decision. Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill told a news conference that the prisoner, who doctors say has three months to live, was "going home to die" and would be put on a plane later Thursday. "Our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion available," MacAskill said. "Our beliefs dictate that justice be served but mercy be shown." The justice secretary said he declined to allow al Megrahi to be transferred to Libya to serve out his sentence, even though a prisoner transfer agreement exists between the United Kingdom and Libya.

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