Egypt and Tunisia willing to accept bomber, says Mandela

EGYPT and Tunisia would both be prepared to let the man convicted over the Lockerbie bombing serve his sentence in their country, former South African president Nelson Mandela said yesterday.

Speaking after meeting relatives of victims of the 1988 atrocity, Mr Mandela said none had opposed that idea.

Mr Mandela has taken up the case of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, calling for him to be given a fresh appeal. Mr Megrahi was convicted of smuggling a bomb aboard the Pan Am jet which exploded over Lockerbie with the loss of 270 lives in 1988. Mr Megrahi, 49, is serving a life sentence at Glasgow’s Barlinnie prison after losing his appeal against his conviction earlier this year.

During his visit to the jail on June 10, Mr Mandela called for Mr Megrahi to be given a fresh appeal and for him to be transferred to a Muslim country.

Yesterday, he met relatives of victims and later gave a news conference at South Africa House in London.

Mr Mandela said he had told them that he would like Mr Megrahi to be transferred to a Muslim prison in a Muslim country, and that he had already spoken to the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia. “They have both agreed that, if he is transferred, they would accept him.”