Lockerbie bomber buried

The only man convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been buried with little fanfare near the Libyan capital with just under 100 family members and passers-by in attendance.

Yesterday’s quiet funeral in Tripoli stands in stark contrast to the hero’s welcome Abdel Baset al Megrahi received three years ago upon his return to Libya after serving eight years of a life sentence.

To the outrage of victims’ relatives, Scottish authorities released al Megrahi on humanitarian grounds in 2009 after doctors predicted an early death due to prostate cancer.

The mid-air attack that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland claimed the lives of 270 people. Until his death at 60, al-Megrahi claimed he was innocent.

Scotland’s justice secretary yesterday defended his decision to release al-Megrahi.