‘Freedom’ behind Lockerbie bomber being in better shape than expected

NEW YORK - Lockerbie campaigner Dr. Jim Swire, who travelled to Libya last week and spent an hour with Abdel Baset al Megrahi in a Tripoli hospital, has attributed freedom to the bomber being in a better condition than he expected.

Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the 1988 atrocity, strongly believes that Megrahi was wrongly convicted for political reasons and has spearheaded a campaign for an inquiry into the bombing.

“I was very relieved to see him as well as he was. He is a very sick man, but he can get out of bed and walk, though not very far,” The New York Post quoted Swire, as saying.

“I think one of the reasons he has lived so long is he has had good treatment in Libya, and he has been returned to his family and his community and his country. These are a huge relief to the body in fighting cancer, because your immune system depends very heavily on how much stress you are under,” added Swire, who last met Megrahi in a Scottish prison in December 2008.

Megrahi, the only person ever convicted of the attack, was released from a Scottish prison in August last year on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. (ANI)