Senators call for Lockerbie bomber to remain in jail

Seven US senators have written to Scotland’s justice secretary calling for the Lockerbie bomber to remain in jail, it was confirmed today.

The seven include Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, chairman of the Senate current affairs committee.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is considering whether to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, serving life for the 1988 bombing which killed 270 people.

He is also considering a separate application for Megrahi to be moved to Libya under a prison transfer agreement.

The letter said: “We believe he (Megrahi) should remain in Scotland to complete his sentence in prison.”

It went on: “Recognising the gravity of this heinous crime, the international community demanded that the government of Libya turn the perpetrators over for prosecution and accept responsibility for the crime.”

And the senators said: “Our international agreement called for his sentence to be served in Scotland and we believe strongly there should be no deviation from this sentence.”

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: “We can confirm we have received a letter from the senators.

“Mr MacAskill has already heard from the US consul-general, the US families, and (secretary of state) Hillary Clinton.

“He is well aware of the American view.

“He has taken that as part of the considerations, he will continue to consider the applications, and he will make a decision soon.”