London, Sept 4 (ANI): Former British Labour government reportedly misled the world over the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi after being threatened by fallen Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to ignite a 'holy war' if Megrahi died in the Scottish prison.
The Daily Mail quoted top-secret documents obtained at Gaddafi's office as saying that although senior ministers from the last Labour Government and the Scottish First Minister have repeatedly insisted that terminally ill Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds in a decision taken by Scottish Ministers alone, the actual reason is something different.
Reports suggest that despite repeated denials, the Labour Government worked behind the scenes to appease Gaddafi's 'unpredictable nature'.
Till last month, a spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond was insisting that 'the decision was taken on the basis of Scots law and was not influenced by economic, political or diplomatic factors.'
The documents, some marked 'UK secret: UK/Libya Eyes Only', which were unearthed demonstrate the warmth of the relationship between Britain and Libya and, in particular, the extraordinarily close links between the former Government of Tony Blair and the Gaddafi regime.
Megrahi was released two years ago and transferred back to Libya, where he received a hero's welcome from Gaddafi. Last week, it emerged he is still alive, although very ill and apparently counting his last days, after he was tracked down to his home in Tripoli. (ANI)
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