The Lockerbie bomber may be free, but he isn’t breathing easy. In fact, he may soon meet the same fate as the 270 innocent men and women he was convicted of killing in 1988.
News reports out of Tripoli, Libya suggest al-Megrahi’s prostate cancer is worsening. Video footage of the 57-year-old convicted killer shows the man breathing through an oxygen mask, his head tilted to the side, his family members by his bedside.
In the background a reporter can be heard asking al-Megrahi a question. He appears too weak to respond.
Libyan Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Siala described al-Megrahi as a “dying man” according to AP.
Many questions have been raised regarding the seriousness of al-Megrahi’s condition. A video depicting him as an ailing man won’t put those theories to rest.
A London-based newspaper quoted al-Megrahi’s father as saying his son is not dying.
“I see he is improving day by day, and he is better than the day he returned” he told Asharq Al-Awssat newspaper.
Testing by Scottish officials is the only confirmation of al-Megrahi’s cancer, however now, to many, the testimony of Scottish officials is no longer sufficient because of the controversy surrounding the bomber’s release.
Many believe al-Megrahi’s release was made in order to facilitate an enormously lucrative oil deal with Libya. British Petroleum (BP) signed a $900 million oil search deal with Libya in 2007, but their progress has been repeatedly stalled by superfluous rules on equipment imports by Libyan officials.
British and Scottish authorities have both denied such a connection.
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