O’Toole Calls on New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation to Demand Probe of Lockerbie Bomber’s Release
Terrorist Megrahi Killed 33 New Jersey Residents in Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
Senator Kevin O’Toole (R-40) expressed outrage today at new reports that convicted Pan Am Flight 103 bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi may have been released from imprisonment by the Scottish government in exchange for favorable terms in a trade deal involving Libyan oil. O’Toole called on New Jersey’s congressional delegation to demand that an official inquiry be conducted by Congress to uncover the details of Megrahi’s release.
“I am greatly concerned that continued justice for the families of the 270 victims of Megrahi may have been sacrificed in exchange for oil,” said O’Toole. “As the representatives of a state that lost 33 people as a result of this terrorist’s actions, New Jersey’s congressional delegation must demand that a full inquiry be conducted.”
Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence agent, had been imprisoned for his role in the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988 which led to the death of 270 people, including 33 from New Jersey. He was convicted in 2001, and had served less than eight years of a life sentence before being released and returned to Libya for “compassionate” reasons. Megrahi is terminally ill with prostate cancer, and it has been reported that the Libyan government indicated during trade negotiations that it wanted him to die as a free man.
“This man showed no compassion for the innocent victims of Pan Am Flight 103,” said O’Toole. “The 33 victims from New Jersey were not given any opportunity to say ‘goodbye’ before their deaths. It’s almost unbearable to think that this killer has been allowed to die a free man, surrounded by his family and honored as a returning hero.”
Senator O’Toole will introduce a resolution into the New Jersey Senate calling on Congress to perform an official inquiry into the release of Megrahi.
“The families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing deserve to know if Megrahi was released simply to sweeten the terms of a trade deal,” added O’Toole. “Senator Lautenberg, Senator Menendez and the rest of New Jersey’s delegation to Congress owe it to the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 to demand that the details regarding Megrahi’s release be revealed.”
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