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| Lockerbie bomber to be told fate | Lockerbie bomber to be told fate |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is to learn later whether he will be allowed to return to Libya. | Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is to learn later whether he will be allowed to return to Libya. |
| Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is likely to announce his release on compassionate grounds, the BBC revealed last week. | Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is likely to announce his release on compassionate grounds, the BBC revealed last week. |
| Megrahi, 57, who has served eight years of a life sentence for killing 270 people in the bombing of 1988 Pan Am flight, has terminal prostate cancer. | Megrahi, 57, who has served eight years of a life sentence for killing 270 people in the bombing of 1988 Pan Am flight, has terminal prostate cancer. |
| Some 189 Americans were among those who died in the airliner explosion. | |
| Mr MacAskill has been under intense pressure from the US government to keep Megrahi behind bars, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying his release would be "absolutely wrong". | Mr MacAskill has been under intense pressure from the US government to keep Megrahi behind bars, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying his release would be "absolutely wrong". |
| Earlier, a letter from seven US senators including Edward Kennedy and John Kerry had urged the Scottish Government to block Megrahi's bid for release. | Earlier, a letter from seven US senators including Edward Kennedy and John Kerry had urged the Scottish Government to block Megrahi's bid for release. |
| Brian TaylorPolitical editor Scottish ministers must hope discontent is primarily aimed at the option of prisoner transfer and not the more likely avenue of compassionate release. | |
| That, I would suggest, is likely to be a tough sell. | |
| US opinion may simply find it difficult to understand why a man convicted of involvement in the death of 270 people, including US citizens, has been released. | |
| Read Brian Taylor's blog | |
| A transfer of Megrahi to a jail in his homeland could be announced. | |
| Mr MacAskill said on Wednesday he had informed families and other interested parties that he had reached his decision on the applications for compassionate release and a prisoner transfer. | Mr MacAskill said on Wednesday he had informed families and other interested parties that he had reached his decision on the applications for compassionate release and a prisoner transfer. |
| He will announce his decision at 1300 BST at the Scottish Government's ministerial headquarters in Edinburgh. | He will announce his decision at 1300 BST at the Scottish Government's ministerial headquarters in Edinburgh. |
| A spokesman for the administration insisted the decision had been reached "on the basis of clear evidence and on no other factors". | A spokesman for the administration insisted the decision had been reached "on the basis of clear evidence and on no other factors". |
| BBC correspondent Peter Hunt said Megrahi was described as having only months left to live. | BBC correspondent Peter Hunt said Megrahi was described as having only months left to live. |
| "Given this prognosis, it's thought that the perpetrator of Britain's biggest terrorist atrocity - who two days ago abandoned his appeal against his sentence - has now spent his last night in a Scottish jail. | "Given this prognosis, it's thought that the perpetrator of Britain's biggest terrorist atrocity - who two days ago abandoned his appeal against his sentence - has now spent his last night in a Scottish jail. |
| "It's expected he will be allowed to return home to die," he added. | "It's expected he will be allowed to return home to die," he added. |
| Hillary Clinton: ''We think it is very much against the wishes of the family members'' | |
| It is thought preparations for Mr Megrahi's possible release were being made in time for him to be home with his family in Libya by Ramadan, which starts on Friday. | It is thought preparations for Mr Megrahi's possible release were being made in time for him to be home with his family in Libya by Ramadan, which starts on Friday. |
| Chancellor Alistair Darling, standing in for the prime minister while Gordon Brown is on holiday, said it was a decision for the Scottish Government. | Chancellor Alistair Darling, standing in for the prime minister while Gordon Brown is on holiday, said it was a decision for the Scottish Government. |
| On Tuesday, judges at the High Court in Edinburgh who accepted Megrahi's application to drop his appeal were told the Libyan's health had recently worsened very considerably. | On Tuesday, judges at the High Court in Edinburgh who accepted Megrahi's application to drop his appeal were told the Libyan's health had recently worsened very considerably. |
| Megrahi has recently been serving his sentence at HMP Greenock, in the west of Scotland, after being convicted of the bombing under Scots law at a specially convened court in the Netherlands in 2001. | Megrahi has recently been serving his sentence at HMP Greenock, in the west of Scotland, after being convicted of the bombing under Scots law at a specially convened court in the Netherlands in 2001. |
| Do you think Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi should be released? | Do you think Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi should be released? |
| Send us your views on video or webcam toyourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send us your views on video or webcam toyourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |
| Or you can leave your views on the form below. | Or you can leave your views on the form below. |
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