abdel basset ali al megrahi was sentenced to life in prison but today officials in could land released him on compassionate grounds. jay grey has our report. >> reporter: as abdel basset ali al megrahi walked out of prison and on to a waiting libyan jetliner, the people scars he created more than two decades earlier seemed to rip wide open. >> it is absolutely horrendous that we are going through this 20-odd years later, that, you know, the man who murdered our loved ones is about to walk out of jail and go back to his the 270 people, including 189 americans. originally sentenced to life in prison, the secretary of justice in scotland freed abdel basset ali al megrahi after only eight years behind bars. on what he called, quote, compassionate grounds. after doctors determined he was suffering through the advanced stages of terminal cancer. good he should be in a scottish prison. if he were to die there then that's the way it was meant to be. but he shouldn't have been released under any circumstances. >> reporter: the decision has sparked anger and outrage that reaches all the way to t

, indeed, a guilty man. >> reporter: in tend the scottish government showed mercy where abdel basset ali al megrahi had not. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. >>housands of libyans greeted abdel basset ali al megrahi on his rival in libya just minutes ago. >>> parents and students in prince william county, virginia, had their back-to-school shopping interrupted today by a police raid. officers and agents seized tens of thousands of counterfeit accessories from one store. julie carey has been following this story for us. she is live at the manassas mall with the latest. julie? >> reporter: that store called luxury fashion accsories is open for business and back for school shopping once again. it was closed for hours during the police raid. its owner faces a felony charge for selling designer knockoff goods. boxes and boxes of knockoff designer handbags, accessories, clothes. that was what prince william county police carted out of this small store in the manassas mall. it also placed the owner under arrest. mall employees say a husband-wife team ran the fax accesso accessories. >> they are so nice.

scottish authorities have released abdel basset ali al megrahi on compassionate grounds. has terminal prostate cancer. wheept back to libya to die. family members of the flight victims are outraged. the obama administration is denouncing al meg had a rahi's . >>> most of the violence took place in southern afghanistan. the more peaceful north and west millions of people lined up to cast their ballots. plame nary results are expected saturday. >>> a wild house party is being investigated by authorities in anne arundel county. turns out that the organizers did not own the house. they borrowed the house without asking. and they left aoo big mess behi. the house is vacant and it is up for sale. news4's chris gordon. more on this wild story coming up on "news4 at 5:00." >>> thank you, pat. president obama says the public option should still be part of the health care reform package. the president clarified his position o a conservative radio talk show this afternoon. mr. obama is also keeping tabs on election results in afghanistan. and joining us now to discuss all these issue

abdel basset ali al megrahi left scotland and returned to libya last night. he was embraced by the son of libyan leader moammar gadhafi. it was the welcome that british officials advised libya to avoid when they released abdel basset ali al megrahi on compassionate grounds. the lockerbie bomber has terminal prostate cancer and doctors say he only has three months to live. nevertheless, his homecoming was painful for some british politicians to watch. >> all of us seeing the television last night found it distasteful. people should remember that this man was convicted of, you know, a very, very serious crime. remember the feeling of the families and friends of all those who died. >> 270 people were killed when a bomb caused pan am flight 103 to crash in lockerbie, scotland. the flight from london was on its way to new york. the vast majority of the victims were americans. today president obama said he thoughthat the bomber's elaborate homecoming was, in his words, highly objectionable. earlier white house press secretary robert gibbs described the scene as out

abdel basset ali al megrahi was the only person convicted in the terror attack over lockerbie scotland that killed 270 people. a scottish judge is considering an early release because al megrahi is reportedly dying from cancer. a decision is expected by the end of the month. >>> a fast-growing wildfire is burning in northern california threatening at least 250 structures. the fire is just north of santa cruz, and is moving closer to property of lockheed martin. hundreds of people have been evacuated. >>> rescuers in taiwan are having a hard time yetting to areas hit hard by this week's typhoon. hundreds of people are still stranded in remote mountain villages. >>> more americans are on the verge of losing their homes. realty track said the number of houses that received a foreclosure notice in july was up 7% from the month before. that is the highest monthly level in four years. >>> today jetblue is offering a new one-month unlimited flying pass that will allow travelers to fly as many times as they want, anywhere the airline flies for $599. the pass would be valid for travel between s

abdel basset ali al-megrahi is the tune of prostate cancer.expected he will be sent back home. the muslim holy month begins tomorrow. if the decision is announced now, that is why he may return home today. the decision was made by the scottish courts. kellogg the people accused the british government of wanting to make nice with libya. -- a lot of people accused of the british government of wanting to make nice with libya. the scottish court is independent and has a policy for compassionate release. the lockerbie bombing was in december of 1988. 189 americans were killed. secretary of state hillary clinton has pressed on the scottish to not release abdel basset ali al-megrahi. gretchen: many of the families feel the same way. thank you. two soldiers are dead in the crash of an army blackhawk helicopter near the top of colorado second-highest mountain. the wreckage is near 14,000 feet. this is as close as cameras could get. one other soldier is injured. a fourth soldier is missing to the army said the helicopter was on a training mission. repor

hero's welcome given last night to a libyan man, man convicted in the lockerbie bombing, abdel basset ali al megrahi. step off the plane wearing a dark suit. he was greeted and embraced by the son of libyan leader gadhafi. megrahi is said to be suffering from terminal prostate cancer. hundreds of people were waiting for hours at the airport for the convicted bomber and cheered wildly at his arrival. the exuberant homecoming appeared to be a very public slap at president obama. he asked the libyan government to show restraint. >> we are now in contact with thlibyan government and want to make sure that if, in fact, this transfer has taken place, he's not welcomed back in some way but instead should be under house arrest. >> al megrahi served eight years after life sentence and convicted oflag nt pe binbom that blew pan am flight 103 out of the sky. 259 people onboard the plane were killed along with 11 people on the ground. most of the victims were americans and many of their families expressed outrage at al megrahi's release. >>> preliminary results of the election in afghanistan could be in by tomo

. >>> lawyers for convicted pan am 103 bomber abdel basset ali al megrahi say that he is abandoning his appeal. he has terminal cancer and his attorneys had earlier asked that he be given a compassionate release from his life term in prison. >>> funeral services are being held today in florida for navy pilot michael scott speicher, 18 years after his plane was shot down on the first night of the 1991 gulf war. his remains were recovered earlier this month. >>> six men and a 15-year-old boy pleaded not guilty on thursday to first degree murder in the death of the parents of 13 adopted children. many with special needs in florida. if convicted the adults could get the death penalty. the teenager could get life in prison. >>> overseas markets are higher this morning on hopes of the world recession being coming easing or becoming over, as for wall street, cnbc's melissa francis at the new york stock exchange with more. melissa, there are some clues about consumer confidence yesterday, and also coming up today. >> that's right. retail sales came in yesterday, worse than expected. consumers k

former agent abdel basset ali al megrahi is serving a life sentence for planting the bomb that killed 270 people, including 180 americans. but his lawyers are asking for xration gnat easter compassionate early release because he's dying for cancer. families of the victims say they're outraged. stephanie goss joins us from london. what's the latest on this possible release? >> reporter: well, david, scottish officials are saying they're going to wait until the end of the month before they make a decision on whether they release al megrahi or not. his defense team is really asking for two things. either to release him back to libya so he can spend his final days with his family or transfer him to a libyan jail. they made a similar request last year in october, which was denied. doctors came in and said that it seemed that al megrahi could actually live for several years with his condition and it seems his cancer has worsened, spread to other organs, and his chance for living is slim at this point, and that is their argument to have him released on compassionate grounds. david? >> intere

. >>> convicts lockerbie bomber abdel basset ali al megrahi is now a free man en route to libya. scottish officials announced his release this morning on so-called compassionate grounds. michael sheehan joins us with the state department. michael, the families in particular, the families who we've been interviewing now for 21 years, the cohns and others, they have to be absolutely furious. and nonplussed. we saw this man, literally, running up the steps to moammar gadhafi's private jet. this is hardly house arrest. >> right, andrea. and i've spoken to those families often over the years and they're outraged again. and megrahi, he's just a stooge, but to see him dash up the steps there is really an outrage, thinking of the deaths of those young kids, many of them coming home for college vacation back in 1988, it's horrific. but this is really their last gasp of outrage. because the real outrage that moammar gadhafi, really the architect of the plot, has been basically let off the hook and american oil companies are lined up over there to do business with him. and that's really muc

libya is keeping abdel basset ali al megrahi out of site in the international uproar over his hero's welcome. plans for a larger spectacle were said to be scrapped at the last minute. al megrahi has terminal cancer and was granted compassionate release from scotland. the justice secretary of scotland made that announcement yesterday. but back in lockerbie, many residents will be glad to close this chapter of the horror story that started more than 20 years ago. cnn's diana magnay reports. >> reporter: this was the crater left by the 747 airliner that was pan am flight 103, brought down over the small scottish town of lockerbie in december 1988 by a terrorist bomb in the cargo hold of the plane. 20 years on in the town's quiet memorial gardens, it is hard to imagine the carnage. but one of the first policeman at the scene remembers it vividly. >> the windows were popping. the doors were -- it was like hell. i remember also seeing a wrought iron gate and in the distance, i could see it, it was actually dripping like molten butter, dripping away. >> reporter: all 259 people on board the

scotland let abdel basset ali al megrahi return home on compassionate grounds. ama couldn't work up any compassion. he was asked about al megrahi's warm welcome. >> i think it was highly objectionable. >> it took 11 years after the lockerbie bombing to bring al megrahi to justice. he served eight years in prison. >>> the cash for clunkers program may be at the end of the road. mom: just one breakfast a week and the savings really add up. save money. live better. walmart. >>> a nightmare delay that trapped dozens of flyers is not being blamed on continental express or its crew but a different airline. the pilot pleaded for the 47 passengers to be let off the delayed flight. instead they were stranded overnight 50 feet from a terminal. a representative for the airline refused because csa personnel got home for the day. they could have stayed in an isolated area. >>> a little boy beaten to death in los angeles just before his 7th birthday. his fugitive caretaker found and under arrest. community outrage about the child welfare system has not quieted down. marcus fis

abdel basset ali al megrahi, onetime security chief for libyan arab airlines, was sentenced to life inson with a minimum term of 27 years before he would become eligible for parole. even then, some relatives of the victims would say they weren't sure the right man was caught. >> i found the trial process confusing and quite difficult to understand because much of the evidence was circumstantial. so, while the court convicted him, his co-conspirator, who was his co-accused, was found innocent. and the fact of the matter is that megrahi could not have acted alone. >> reporter: megrahi has always maintained his innocence and is currently appealing his conviction for a seconds time. now diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, he is also requesting release on compassionate grounds. a man whose daughter was killed at lockerbie says he should be allowed home but that his appeal must not be dropped. >> the appeal to us seems to be the way to move forward towards the next stage to finding out what happened. for that to stop would be a disaster for us and for scotland in the long run. >> report