ALBANY, New York — New York’s U.S. senators are asking the Libyan transitional government to hold the convicted Lockerbie, Scotland, plane bomber fully accountable for his terrorist actions.
PLANE BOMBER. In this image taken from Libya's state TV, during a broadcast showing convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi attending a pro-government rally in the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Tuesday July 26, 2011. The TV said the man in a wheelchair attending Tuesday's rally is Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was convicted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am plane over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, which killed 270 people. (AP Photo/Libya State TV) TV OUT
Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was convicted and imprisoned in Scotland for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The bombing killed 270 people, including 189 Americans.
The Scottish government released al-Megrahi in 2009, believing he’d soon die of cancer. He was greeted as a hero in his native Libya and met with leader Moammar Gadhafi, whose 42-year rule now teeters on the brink of collapse.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer on Monday called for al-Megrahi to be returned to prison.
Scottish officials say they want to contact him soon to ensure they’ll still be able to oversee his parole.