British PM ‘repulsed’ by hero’s welcome for bomber

BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown broke his silence on the Lockerbie bomber yesterday, saying he was repulsed by the hero’s welcome Libya gave the convicted killer and insisting he played no role in Scotland’s much-criticised decision to free him.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, convicted of the 1988 airplane bombing that killed 270 people, was released from a Scottish prison last week on compassionate grounds because he is dying of cancer. He returned to his native country, where he was greeted by a crowd waving Libyan and Scottish flags and throwing flower petals.

The Scottish administration has faced angry criticism from US officials and the families of some Lockerbie victims, most of whom were American.