megrahi was not done in the name of scotland, nor in the name of scotland, but it was made by the decisionf the minister. if mr. megrahi's illness is so severe and keeping him in prison is so inhumane, why could he not be released to a hospital in scotland? is it that the release that leaders could not protect mr. megrahi. 48 police officers for a few weeks, seems a small price to pay to protect scotland's reputation. and is the government arguing that our excellent [inaudible] is incapable of providing compassionate care, and even his own doctor believes he will receive better treatment in libya. it would be better served by that approach than a convicted terrorist than a back-drop. and equally disturbing is the extraordinary and silence of the prime minister, gordon brown. this has implications for foreign policy and trade. and what joint efforts are taken by alexander and gordon brown that will affect our reputation and economy? >> i think that the suggestion that he could go to hospice is ludicrous and to suggest that we could spend mr. megrahi to a hospice in scotland, would be like a

i, stand by the laws of scotland. scotland will forever remember the crime that was perpetrated against our people. some scars can never fade, and those who are grieved cannot be expected to forget or let alone forgive. but mr. megrahi holds that to a higher power, and it's one that no other land can revoke, it's terminal, he's going to die. in scotland we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity. it's viewed as a defining characteristic of scotland and the scottish people. the perpetration of atrocity cannot and shouldn't be a basis of losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live. mr. megrahi as i said, did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. they were allowed to return to the bosoms of their families. no compassion was showned to them, but that is no reason for us not to allow compassion in his final day. our system demands that justice be provided,compassion and mercy are part of the beliefs that we uphold and remaining true to the

and joining us now from scotland, the scotland justice secretary kenny mccaskill. did he kill 270 people? >> yes, he was convicted by a scottish court. >> is it normal procedure in scotland, that someone, a convicted mass murder who gets cancer is free to go home to his wife and family. >> thankfully in scotland we don't have many convicted mass murderers and this crime devastated our country as it did people in the united states and elsewhere. >> is there any precedent in scotland, where a mass murder, someone who killed 270 people in cold blood has been freed to go home to his wife and family because he's suffering from canner? >> this crime is unprecedented in our small country. it's actually the worst atrocity, terrorist atrocity ever perpetrated anywhere within the united kingdom so it's a circumstance that has never happened before and i hope that it's a circumstance that will never reoccur. >> are there precedents where murderers, just regular murderers, someone who killed someone in cold blood, and served only a very small persian of his or her sentence has

and i believe of the people of scotland. and can i quote from another formal leader of liberal democrat, lord, said this morning, and it was not me as part of a deal or trade agreement. and i think that people should focus on that, and most people in scotland are in favor of releasing him on compassionate grounds. and you may take a different view, and as i said, this is my decision, i will stand by it and live with the consequences. >> order. when it comes to open questions, i have 30 members wanting to ask questions, and i am keen that everyone who wants to ask a question do so. so i suggest that everyone be brief. >> the votes of scotland have criticized your legal system in application of justice in this case. and be aware that the report of releasing mr. megrahi on compassionate grounds go to many. and do you agree that if a cabinet be set down for compassionate release as mr. megrahi, and to deny that release is to criticize that decision. and can the justice confirm, that anyone who has made a request has been refused

this was an attack on scotland. to my mind of the little boy, four days before christmas, running home and the plane landing on home. and he gets burned up in jet fuel. how that image didn't stop him from releasing him. the other thing that was fascinating to me. do you know that 60 to 100 people die every year in scottish prisons of natural causes? he doesn't release any of them. none of them are mass murderers. why did he release this one? >> i asked him repeatedly if there was one precedent of any murderer ever in scotland who has been released because he or she was suffering from a terminal disease. and he didn't have one precedent. >> he couldn't answer. >> he's the justice secretary. he should have those legal precedents if there are some. >> yeah. >> did you know that i think it was -- he said 30 have been granted, 30 compassionate releases have been granted. six were wrrejected. what did those people die that he rejected them, let this guy go? >> fair point. we have to leave it there. i suspect the story is

the values and laws of scotland.we will forer remember the ple that has been perm -- perpetrated. the pain and sufferingill remain forever. scotland can never heal. scars can never fade. those who can be believed cannot be expected let along forgten. is one no court in any jurisdiction in any lines could revoke or overall. this is terminal, final, and e revocable. he is ing to try. in scotland, we are people who pride ourselves on our humanity. it is viewed as a defining characteristic. the personation and outreach cannot and should not be a basis of losing sight for who we are. the values that we hold and t faiths and believes by which we seek to live. mr. abdelbaset ali al megrahi, as i said, did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. they were not allowed to return to their families to see out their lives, let alone their dies days. no compassion was shown by him today. it is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days. presiding officer of the justice demands that judgm

scotland, not just the narrow view. why did the government suggest for the biggest decision in 10 years? during first day statement, mr. macaskill said eight times he was responsible for the decision, but at least eight times he passed the blame to others. and also a higher power. why did mr. macaskill visit mr. megrahi, and why make that visit when there was not one but two appeals in progress. what advice did he take from the crown office on that matter? we know now that mr. macaskill need not visit mr. megrahi in prison. how many prisoners can have a justice visit them in their cell. and doesn't this conduct mean that no prisoner no matter the crime, will have a request turned down again? this has caused the split of scotland and next week colonel can breed this discussion. and the fine redeeming four-year term of government will be ruined by many for years to come. >> from this parliament and by the providing officer. and i say to you mr. scott, it's my decision and mine alone. i stand by it and i will live with the

this system in scotland. scotland crown authorities, there it was judges, it's a panel of judges. not like here in the united states where you have, you know, a jury of your peers. this were a panel of judges. and we've been hearing this morning about conspiracy theories and all this. >> mike, hold that thought. the plane and some movement in the airplane. a plane getting ready to tax off and take off from glasgow airport and head to tripoli. mike, we'll continue to follow this. mike brooks, continue your thoughts. sorry about that. >> that's all right, don. it's believed that he did not, that megrahi did not carry this out by himself. he did have assistance of the man who was acquitted. as i was saying, it's not a jury system there with a panel of judges and it was actually held at a court in the hague and we heard one of the families, the mother of one of those 35 students from syracuse and they were very, very involved in this, don. there was a large contingent of americans who was there at the trial follo

and if there is some precedent in scotland where no one in the history of scotland has been granted thisottish tradition is once you're terminally ill, that's what they do. but that's not what we're talking about. because if that was what we were talking about, it wouldn't be an opposing to real the person, it would be a mandate to release the person. >> and i think that would have come out. >> that never came out in the discussion with the judge. >> that statistic. he never said this is going to happen. the inference was it wasn't going to happen. >> okay. >> and all of a sudden we were shocked, absolutely shocked. >> which is why you end up with refusing to indulge the compassionate conversation and go to the energy conversation. it's the only way you can explain it. >> the way you said it, compassion release, i can see white collar crimes, i can see where you didn't take another person's life, but this individual massacred 270 people. we were told by mccaskill and others that he was going to make this decision and take everything into account. what he in essence is saying, you can kil

what was scotland thinking? we will let scotland give you the excuse. here at home, a food fight. the ceo of wholefoods says he is for health care reform but comes out against the president's health plan and now when than 20,000 people are calling for a boycott of the grocery chain's. they are fighting back at to the boycott. we have a boy cotter and an opponent. democratic senators are now furious at the republicans over health care and town halls. they are all threateneing go nuclear. they are potentially going to use something that can go past the republicans and republicans will not be able to stop them. last night, we told you about the ceo of whole foods. last week, he wrote an op-ed that said that we need health care reform. guess what, some customers. not everyone agrees. we have the group that is representing protests against wholefoods and one that supports wholefoods. is this ceo a bad guy? >> he wrote a really nasty piece in "the wall street journal," and the majority of his customers would disagree with him. greta: i did not see this as nasty. he gave up his pay and d

scotland is about to be set free. life sentence. now because he has cancer and is reaching the end of his life, they are freeing him on the basis of compassion. çthose scars have not healed 40 lot of people around the world, but now he is being granted compassion for the victims that he never showed. and houseç -- and has a lot of people upset. moment from now, you will see him reclaim his freedom. >> why should i have to pay for someone else? i like my own insurance. bill: that was one voter in rhode island. now we are hearing reports from congress that they may use their power in congress to pass health care. doug scheon is a democratic pollster and a fox news contributor. this is kind of back of hand, moderate democrats. how is this: to go over? >> -- going to go over? ç>> probably not very good. for a vast number of the american people and the moderate wing of the democratic party, that is a nonstarter. bill: do you believe it is a moral obligation for americans to get this done? >> i think there is a moral obl

a record amount -- a sheep has been bought for a record amount in scotland. he hopes to make more money selling the animal services. the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you? >> i'm kevin bacon. >> i'm kim cattrall. >> hi, i'm ken burns. >> i'm lili taylor. >> i'm henry louis gates, jr., and public broadcasting is my source for news about the world. >> for intelligent conversation. >> for election coverage you can count on. >> for conversations beyond the sound bites. >> a commitment to journalism. >> i'm kerry washington, and public broadcasting is my source for intelligent connections to my community. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.

the white house says it deeply regrets scotland's decision.270 people lost their lives in the 1988 bombing and the majority of those killed were americans. >>> so we want to know what you think about this release. their decision to let him go from prison because he's terminally ill. call us at 1-877-tell-hln. or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. we're taking a text poll, too. send your view to hlntv. text views "a" if you think, yes, he should be released so he can go home to die. or views "b" if you think, no, he should stay in prison. >>> vice president joe biden says the obama administration's giving more than $1 billion to hospitals to help them convert to electronic medical records. in an announcement this morning biden said the money would come from the $787 billion stimulus plan. the vice president says electronic records will be more efficient and safer for patients. >> we're here today to hopefully begin to make our system a little healthier again and in the process deal with preserving america's wealth rather than squandering it as we're doi

. >> eric: i'm eric sean and many say it was bad enough scotland decided to frae the only person ever convicted of bombing pan am flight 103 that killed 207 people, 186 of them were our fellow citizens, americans. three days later, we're finding anger over the homecoming celebration continues to resonate. across our country. joining us now on the telephone is congressman fiphil gingrey, republican from georgia, what are your thoughts on a potential u.n. resolution by the obama administration condemning the release and the welcome home? >> caller: well, i am all for it. i agree with them, with obama's administration, and -- but don't agree with him on the health care reform ideas and the public option. but it is refreshing that i can agree with him on something. i think that... the resolution even if the security council with libya, as a member now, can beat -- at least we'll have our opportunity to express or opinion and present the resolution to the general assembly. >> eric: the u.s. ambassador, we have no word if indeed the administration may submit such a resolution, but, look, th

al megrahi, of course, was convicted for the 1988 bombing of pan am 103 over lockerbie, scotland. the terror attack killed 270 people. and today, once again, many people were demanding to know just why had he been set free. this matter of justice is once again our "lead focus" tonight. >> reporter: abdel baset al megrahi should not be welcomed back to tripoli, that was the message, the warning to libya from president obama in america. the demand responsible for the deaths of 270 people, the biggest terrorist attack in britain was treated more like a celebrity or royalty changed into a dark suit, he was met off of the plane and then repeatedly hugged by colonel gadhafi's own son in front of a jubilant crowd. this morning the foreign secretary david miliband said the sight of a mass murderer getting a hero's welcome is deeply distressing. even alex salmon who's government gave the go-ahead for the compassionate release said the celebrations were neither proper, wise or appropriate. but in tripoli a speaker at the youth rally was triumphant. >> translator: this meeting has been disti

it's also that we feel that scotland has betrayed us. this incredible compassionate release has thrown us for a loop. we just cannot believe it. we're very saddened by it. angry frankly. >> kathleen, did you see this coming? >> absolutely not. in a million years i did not see this. my husband and i went to the entire trial. the original trial in tand we understood all of the legal issues. we watched the court for every single minute it was in session. and we saw the evidence unfold clearly this man was guilty. clearly. and to have one man in scotland who is the minister of justice, i guess they call him, and this man has the right to issue a compassionate release for ali mohmed al megrahi. we are very upset. >> our heart breaks for you, kathleen. i'm sure you're we living some of the tragedy all over again to see this. kendall, i got to ask but this ruling. compassionate grounds. what do you make of it? >> it's a dark day for international justice. think of how much this undermines one nation's ability to have confidence in the legal sys

in scotland. 60 people a year die of natural causes in scottish prisons. why don't you go home, too. the one mass murderer, he gets to go home. >> it's stunning. did you know this was -- you had talked with him in advance, you tried to stop this. did you know in the final analysis this would happen today? >> we had a sense it might. last night it occurred to me, this is the nightmare scenario. for 20 years we tried to get libya, tried to get a regime change in libya, did everything we could to fight state-sponsored terrorism. not just the one guy. there was some sense of meaning and victory in that. now the one guy is sent home. and, you know, because he's supposedly dying of cancer, although that doesn't appear to be conclusive either. >> all right. i'm sorry we met under these circumstances but i appreciate you being on. >> thank you. >> brian flynn blogged about his experiences. you can find the blog at ac360.com. i urge you do go there. it makes for powerful reading. >>> how unprecedented is t

it's particulay bad i think to see the scottish solice flying because whateverou want scotland to be associated with it's not those scees we've seen in libya. >> scotland announced is morning itas releang himor compassionateeasons and then still outrage. which came. >> reporter: most of the ckerbie bombing were american and on u.s. television st night th condemnationf th isoner release was clear, before al megrahi even arrived home the sta department it announced it had put pssure on the libyan government. >> i think obviously in light of the release, we have had a number of conversations th the vernment of bya. obviousl he will move back to lia, and we certaiy believe that as a convicted criminal, he's not entled to a ho's welcome. >> reporter: dlomatelations between libyand the u. which had en improving cod be threened by these scenes. this year is t 40th anniversary of t al fatah revotion in lib and colonel gadhafi is clear using al megrahi retu as a propaganda coupe despite the fact that this man is a convict murder who is termally ill and expected to die within three month >> th

the parole board for scotland now being asked to prepa its opinion on compassiate lease. the libyan regime, which has be restoringnormal relation with the u.k. has so been advised to fly m home. for many retives of those who died, especiallyn the united states, his relea would be too ch to bear. >> there was angreement made betwn our nations and their nations that if he was found guil, which he was -- there is no questi of his th by the way -- hwould servehe prison term in scotland. is hes so ill that needs to to a hospitali personally uld not oppose that, but the spital would be in scotla. if he wants see his fily, his familcan come to scotland. >> but he has always protested his innocence a is aealing his conction for the cond time in the sctish courts. compassionate releaswill not stop the appls, but will ensure he cn spend the final days of hi life at home with hifamily. >> u.s. maris have carried ou anoffensive in southern afghanistan, aiming to take town hel by the taliban before next we's predential election last month also sought a majo operaon by american forces

. >>> five days after scotland released the man convicted of mbing a panamjetliner over lockerbie, scotland killing 270 people, the controversy and the outrage over his release and his welcome home in libya continued today. there is, as you can imagine, a great deal of analysis and dissection of the decision going on in the british press. scotland is, after all, a part of the united kingdom. was there a deal for the terrorist release where, were british oil interests in libya a factor? the fascinating questions that are not getting much attention in this country and that we will focus on in a moment. but first, british prime minister gordon brown, he spoke out for the first time today about abdelbaset al. megrahi and his homecoming. >> my thoughts are with the thoughtings of the victims. and i was both angry and i was repulsed by the reception that a convicted bomber guilty of a huge terrorist crime returned a return to libya. >> and that brings to us tonights "lead focus." our british partner, itn's been looking at britain's relationship with libbia, it's business interest there, leading u

now more from our scotland political editor. >> lockerbie, pan am flight 1 03 exploded in the sky. -- pan am flight 103 exploded in the sky. megrahi was convicted of the crime but he was released by the scottish government because he has terminal cancer. now the situation is controversial. many scottish people are deeply unhappy. pullinpollsters interviewed peon wednesday and thursday this week. the findings suggest that 74% believe that scotland's reputation has been damaged while 60% belief that megrahi should not have been released. the scottish government says that this was mercy to a dying man. scottish people are skeptical. 68% think other factors played a part. downing street said that the prime minister had no option. many people think that border brown's reputation has been damaged. -- gordon brown's reputation has been damaged. 76% reckon that the standing of the scottish government has been damaged. the controversy may decline. right now, the scottish flag is hanging just a little bit limply. >> the latest headlines for you. police in california have confessed that two year

this has been worked on between libya and the uk and scotland, what, for a while? >> that's correct, yeah. tony blair and moammar gadhafi the leader of libya sat down. and during their discussions, i think that they negotiated a prisoner exchange program. in addition, over the course of the last couple of years, the prisoner al megrahi had appealed for the right to have a retrial based on new evidence that the prosecution had withheld evidence from the defense. >> well, i want to get to that. because i wanted to find out, what other factors may have influenced the release beyond just, say, business. >> right. >> and now we're talking about this appeal. how do you think that did play into all of this? >> well, there was -- there were increasing indications that the prosecution perhaps had mishandled the evidence that they were presented with. and, in fact, withheld some evidence from the defense. and in 2008, megrahi won the right from the scottish judiciary review board to appeal his conviction. >> so the thinking is that perhaps with this appeal, he could actually

polls conducted by icm research interviewed 1000 people throughout scotland.the finding suggests that 74% believe scotland's reputation has been damaged, while 60% believe al-megrahi should not been released. it's got this government insists this was a quality-judicial decision prompted by mercy to a dying man. scots are skeptical. 68% think the other factors played a part. and street insist the prime minister played no part in the decision, but our polls suggest, gordon brown's reputation has been damaged. the real political hit is in scotland. 76% wreck and the standing of the scottish government has been damaged. -- reckoned the standing of the scottish government has been damaged. right now, the scottish flag is hanging just a little limply. >> the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." the couple convicted of obstructing jaycee dugard -- of abducting jaycee dugard pleaded not guilty. north and south korea have reached an agreement to restart a program of reunion of families separated since the korean war. the annual

how much the decision has anchor the majority in scotland? does he seem to be aware of the issues in releasing a convicted bomber? >> questions were also raised about the role of the british government in the release. gordon brown met gaddafi last month, in so far he has not commented on the controversy. >> this is an extraordinary silence on the part of the prime minister, gordon brown. this decision has significant implications for foreign policy and trade. what joint efforts are now being undertaken by gordon brown to limit the damage? >> mr. macaskill repeated that he had fallen due process. he suggested that -- he said that suggestions that al-megrahi could have spent his final days in hospital work the crest. bbc news. >> at least 20 people have been killed in bombast -- bomb blasts on the buses. this happened in the south east of iraq. our correspondent from baghdad has the details. >> there were two separate attacks carried out on many buses carrying travelers on any road. but attacks were believed to have been carried out with severa

the plane exploded over lockerbie scotland in ' 88. many relatives of the victims live here in new york state and they are outraged at his release. the white house says the united states deeply regrets the decision. >> we have just released a man convict of massacring 270 people. we have given state sponsored terrorism a victory and the families have to watch this, 20 years later this is the last sad chapter this odyssey. >> reporter: scotland says it was bound by scottish values to show mercy. >> no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his familiar in his final days re. >> reporter: he says he may die sooner or later but it will happen in his home country of libya. cbs news, new york. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton released a statement today saying she was deeply disappointed by the decision to release the lockerbie bomber. >>> we have developing story from southwest washington. the health and human services building was evacuated this morning voluming a small

it exploded over lockerbie, scotland in 1988. many relatives live here in new york state. they are outraged at his release. the who us says the united states deeply regrets the decision. >> we have released a man convicted of massacring 270 people, we have given state- sponsored terrorism a victory. the families have to watch this. 20 years later this is the last chapter. >> reporter: but scotland said it was bound by values to show mercy. >> no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days. >> reporter: he said he may die sooner or may live long are but it will happen in libya. in new york. >> he has been given less than three months to live. he served eight years in prison. >>> just a short time ago 83 was reopened following an oil spill in the northbound lanes. it shut down the stretch from fayette street for several hours during the morning commute. cars were directed around the interstate causing backups downtown and along the side streets. >> dozens of people are forced out follow

much of scotland's legal system is separate.the only person convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103 over scat land that killed 270 people. tony blare is denying that a lucrative oil deal between libya and the uk play ed a role in th release. a scathing letter was sent to scotland's justice secretary. the release makes a mockery of the law and gives comfort to terrorists worldwide. >>> you are looking at pictures of a deadly plane crash that happened in ohio. the small plane you are looking at barely missed a high school. it crashed into a field. a football scrimmage was going on at the time. the highway patrol says it crashed within minutes of taking off from an airport in agents sd a beverly hills pharmacy yesterday in connection with michael jackson's death. the dea says the agents were expected to seize pharmacy records. the pharmacy is in the same building as the office of jackson's dermatologist dr. arnold klein. in an interview with cnn last month klein denied he had given jackson dangerous drugs. appearing on prime

>> he was held in scotland. agreed years ago that he would be tried according to a scottish justice. he could have been tried in this country. under double jeopardy, we will not get another shot at him. trace: we have diplomatic relations, as you say. >> this was not a decision purely by the government of scotland. they have a separate jurisdiction. this is conceivable because prime minister gordon brown decided he wanted this to happen. president obama needs to raise this with gordon brown. trace: i want to get your opinion on afghanistan. the election was held today. it is 11:45 p.m. in afghanistan. the question becomes, the violence today -- 26 people were killed. yet, the fortitude of those who led to the voting polls today. were you surprised? >> we will have to see what the final turnout is through the taliban's efforts. registration is up over 1/3. a lot of them are women. whatever the final turnout is, we will have more voting that voting before. trace: is there a sense that the taliban -- they threatene

the people for scotland aren't for this.ad a survey on my way here that 90% of the scottish people think he should have served out his sentence? scotland. more importantly, 60 people a year die in scottish prisons of natural causes. he's not handing these out, why don't you go home, too. the one mass murderer, he gets to go home. >> it's stunning. did you know this was -- you had talked with him in advance, you tried to stop this. did you know in the final analysis this would happen today? >> we had a sense that it might. it was almost -- last night it occurred to me. this is the nightmare scenario. for 20 years we tried to get libya, tried to get a regime change in libya, did everything we could to fight state-sponsored terrorism. not just the one guy. but, hey, we got one guy. there was some sense of meaning and victory in that. now the one guy is sent home. and, you know, because he's supposedly dying of cancer, although that doesn't appear to be conclusive either. >> all right. i'm sorry we met under these circumstances

and scotland in particular on this. there is considerable anger in the obama administration -- reacting to the anchor on -- reacting to the anger of behalf of the families. >> i heard some relatives of people killed saying actually, we would not have given into libya, this person would now be returning to libya, al-megrahi, if libya didn't have oil. this is a straight business is you -- issue. >> i am not sure how many americans are going to go into this in a forensic way but i am sure in the state department and the white house they will be very angry indeed that the blair government, and the so- called deal in the desert, actually in effect flag that the u.k. would be happy to have al- megrahi go home by agreeing, in fact, hastening its way into a prisoner transfer agreement which got very little scrutiny at westminster. there was only one libyan prisoners in the u.k., and that was al-megrahi. this was from the beginning premised on removing al-megrahi as an obstacle to britain's investments in libya, particularly in

a decision scotland's justice department said he knew many would disagree with. al-megrahi dressed in white on his final steps to freedom. terminally ill with prostate cancer he was released on compassionate grounds by the justice minister, a decision met with outrage at the highest levels. >> we have been in contact with the scottish government. indicating that we objected to this. and we thought it was a mistake. >> reporter: 270 people died in the lockerbie bombing, 189 of them americans. after a massive investigation, and lengthy trial, megrahi was the only person convicted. jack and kathleen flynn lost their 21-year-old son, john patrick in the bombing. >> the word compassion should never be used in the same sentence with mr. megrahi. >> bert aberman lost his brother tom. scotland's justice secretary says he knows the bereaved will never forget let alone forgive. but scottish law allows terminally ill prisoners to be shown compassion and that's what he did with megrahi. >> no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not the reason for us to den

scotland h taken much of the blame. a number of website have popped , urging a boycott of scotland and scottish products. and brish governnt's not in the clear eher. in washington, they want to know whethecommercial interests, the wisher of brish oil companies, for example, we tan into account when the convicted murderer was released. we don't have all o the details, butf it tur out that the britishovernment encouragedhis releaseto gain anoilcontract, shame,shame, shame on them. >>eporter: the justice secretary will have to justi his decision tomsps. the big thing the reputation of e country he serves,may esent a greater challenge, hover. >> john spar of itn. >>> there is another upar inlving libya, this one in swzerland, after the swiss government apologized to libya's leader moaar gadhafi for the arrest of hi son and daughter-in-w last yr. hannibal gadhafi and his wife were arrested on crges of mistating two domesticm ployies at swiss hotel. the chaes redropped. veral months later after a selement with the dhafis. but

today, the government of scotland scotland released him. president obama said the u.s. deeply regretds the decision and warned libya not to giveim a here rope's welcome the libyans weren't listening. here's abc's miguel marquez. >> reporter: tonight, a hero's welcome for the lockerbie bomber, convicted of 270 counts of murder and sentenced to life, now a free man. >> it is absolutely shameful, it is horrible. it makes my suffering and ief even worse that it already is. >>eporter: susan cohen's only child, theodora, died on the pan am flight 103. this morning, scottish authorities granted megrahi what scottish laws call a compassionate release. >>>> our b bieiefs dicictatate t thaha juice be s sved,d, butut mcycy b be shshowown. >>epeporter: the scottttisish government says megrahi, riddled with cancer, only has months to live and a compassionate release now is an expression of scottish values. in the last decade, scotland has granted 23 of 30 requests for release on compassionate grounds. but many relatives of those killed on pan am flight 103 ask, why show compassion f

also, scotland is a devolved government, and it's also been discussed as scotland's problem that comeser scottish jurisdiction. now, scotland's edadministratio and that of the uk are quite politically diametric icalally opposed. to say that they are connected, is a tricky one, kyra? >> appreciate it. >>> here are the tweets that you've sent us on the release of the lockerbie bomber. compassionate is a word that should not be used. we should be outraged. ice queen said i'm scottish and proud of mcs mccaskill, the lo r lockerbie bomber will die son. the victims and families of pan am 103 and the people of lockerbie never got a chance to say good-bye to their loves ones. not right. >>> nobody said democracy was easy, but don't complain to afghans about touch screens and butterfly ballots. a country at war holds a historic election. there's no way to hide it. sir, have you been drinking tonight? if you ride drunk, you will get caught... and you will get arrested. the first complete women's multivitamin in a drink mix. with more calcium and vitamin d... to support bone and breast health...

but she was on pan am flight 103 and exploded over scotland.he was one of 2 59 people on board who died. 11 more people tied on the ground. scottish justice secretary declared that the man should be released from prison for what he calls compassionate reasons. >> could i deal with this a little better if they had released him to a prison in libya. or a hospice if he's on the verge of death. but to send him home in comfort to his family? it's just an outrage. >>reporter: he served only 8 years of a life sentence. he has prostate cancer and given only months to live but rosemary mild says it is incredible that the life of a terrorist is more important than the lives of 2 70 innocent victims. this is fox 45 news at 5:30. >>> that brings us to our question of the day. do you agree with the decision to release the bomber. go to our web site and tell us what you think. response might air tonight on the news at 10:00. >>> clean up is under way after midwest gets slammed with severe storms and tornadoes. 4 tornadoes hit cedar rapids, iowa yesterday. tr

the transatlantic jet exploded over southern scotland nearly 21 years ago.arly two-thirds of those on board were americans. the prospect of his release has prompted strong opposition in the united states. >> i knew a lot of these families, i talked with them about what a horror they experienced and i just think it is absolutely wrong to release someone who has been inrison based on the evidence about his involvement in such a horrendous crime. >> reporter: he is for the time being held in prison. he could be transferred back to a jail in libya or, as seems increasingly likely, be released on compassionate grounds. he's as been assessed by three doctor, one of them a leading british cancer specialist today confirmed he does have aggressive cancer and that he's no longer responding to treatment. scotland's justice secretary has cleared his diary to concentrate on making a decision about his future. the ramifications of that are likely to echo well beyond scotland's borders. lawrence gourdan, bbc news. >> businesses are being urged to develop guidelines to deal

they will have to stay within the parameters of the army field manual. >>> the government of scotland is facing international outrage over the release of a terrorist responsible for killing 270 people. the scottish parliament convened an emergency session to release the mccaskill says that they were to keep his homecoming a low-key private affair and instead he got a hero's welcome. he says that it was appropriate to release the prisoner who is dying of prostate cancer. >> i stand by the values and laws of scotland. scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against their people and the pain and suffering, as i said, will remain forever. some hearts can never heal. some scars can never fade. those who have been believed cannot be expected to forget. let the lord forgive. but as i said, he faces the sentence imposed by a higher power. it is one no court in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. this terminal, final, and ir remember vok kabl. is he going to die. >> he was accused of blowing up the pan am airline flight over scotland. >>> cash fo

scotland's justice secretary was unrepentant in parliament in edinburgh, defending his decision to free convicted of the lockerbie bombing. kenny mccaskill says his decision had nothing to do with diplomacy or politics, only scottish law and scottish values. the bbc's jane francis kelly has this report. >> an act of merciy or one of naive folly? in releasing a convicted terrorist, the scottish parliament has been recalled for an emergency session so it can defend his decision. the opposition liberal democrat leader was scathing in his assessment. >> what the minister and his government have done is to split scotland within itself and split our nation from many international friends. >> mr. mccaskill remained angrily defiant. >> i repeat what i said at the beginning. it's my decision, i will stand by it and i will live with the consequences. >> earlier, he accepted some would never come to terms with his decision. >> who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. but as i said, mr. al-megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. >> this hero's return f

the plane exploded over lockerbie, scotland. >> the white house says the u.s. deeply regrets the decision. and many here are outraged at his release. >> we just released a man convicted of massacring 270 people. we have given state terrorism a victory. and this is the last chapter in this odyssey. >> reporter: but scotland says it was bound by scottish values to show mercy. >> no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him. >> reporter: he said mcgrahi may die sooner or may live longer, but it the happen in his home country of libya. hari sreenivasan. wjz eyewitness news, new york. >> he was the only person convicted of the bombing. >>> there is new information information about a deadly air collision, as transcripts from the air traffic control tower are released. sally has measure on this. >> reporter: they confirmed that an air traffic controller made the call. the man was apparently talking to a woman about barbecuing a dead cat. it also revealed another nearby plane to the fact that the plane and hel

scotland's legal system is separate from the uk. britain is walking a fine line joining in the outrage without criticizing scottish officials. he is the only man convicted of the flight that was bombed over lockerbie and killed 270 people. they tony player is denying that a big oil deal with libya played a role in the release. chief mueller sent a scathing letter to scotland's secretary. saying the release makes a mockery of the law and gives comfort to terrorists worldwide. >>> you are looking at pictures of a deadly plane crash that happened in ohio last night. the small plane barely missed a high school and crashed into a field. a football scrimmage was going on at the time. both people onboard were killed. the ohio state highway patrol says the plane crashed within minutes of taking off from an airport in southwestern ohio. >>> federal drug agents searched a beverly hills pharmacy yesterday in connection with michael jackson's death. the dea says the agents were expected to seize pharmacy records. the pharmacy is in the same bui

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. >>> five days aer scotland released the man convicted of mbing a panjetliner over lockerbie, scotld killing 270 people, the controversynd the outrage over helease a his welcome home in bya continu today. the is, as you can imagine, a great de of analys and dissecon of the decision going on i theritish pres. scotland is, after all, a pt of the uned kingdo was there a deal for the terrorist release where, we british oil intests in libya a fact? the fascinatinquestions that e not getting much attenti in this couny and thate will focus on in amoment. but first, british prime mister gordon brown, he spoke out for t first time today abt abdelbaset al. megrahi and s hoecoming. >> myhoughts are with the oughtings of the victims. and i was both angry d i was repulsed by the eception that a convicd bomber guilty of a huge terrorist cme turned a return to libya. and that brings tous tonights "lead foc." our britishpartner, itn's been looking britain's relatiship with libbia, it business intert there, leading up to last wee's decision to release the lockerb bomber. as you'll see in johnsparks'

scotland's justice sectary was unrepeant in parliame in edinbuh, defending his decision to free the man of the lockerbie bombin kenny mccaskill says his decision had nothing to do with plomacy or litics, only ottish law and scottish valu. the bbc' jane francis kell has this report. >> an act of mercor one of naive folly? in releasing a convicted rrorist, the scottish parliament has been called for an emergency seson so itan defend his decion. the oppition liberal democrat leader was scathing inhis assessment. >> what the minister and his government have done is to split scotland with itself and split our nation from many international friends. >> mr. ccaskill remained angrilydefia. >> repeat at i said at the beginng. it's my cision, i will std byt and i will live with the consequenc. >> earlr, he acepted some would never ce to terms with s decision. >> who have been bereaved nnot be expecte tofoget, let alone foive. but as i said, mr. al-megrah nofaces a sentence imposed by a higher power. >> this hero' return for the man convict ohe u.k.'s worst terrorist rocity still played on the min

scotland yard caused this one of britain's biggest jewelry heist ever.hey arrested a man in connection with the robbery of $65 million worth of loot. authorities did not believe he is one of two men that rated the jewelry store. a jewelry store with a seven figure collection. back in the year 2000, mike tyson got a bracelet for a combined $1.6 million. here is another personality trying on a pink diamond necklace. this is not your average jewelry store. according to scotland yard, this was not your average feist. >> the getaway after pulling off one of the most audacious robbery is in british history. these were no complacent criminals. they take a member of staff as temporary hostage and then let everyone know they mean business. with the firing of the gun, everyone realized what those inside of the studios already knew, these were dangerous men. >> we did not know was going on. there was commotion. the shop got robbed. >> there was no way to know that these men were violent criminals. they went through the doors and then they pulled out handguns. neckl

the bombing over lockerbie scotland killed 270 people.ight is suffering from terminal prostate cancer and is sent home to libya to die. >>> threats against afghan citizens kept turnout low in the capital of kabul and other parts of the country. some experts say that could affect the vote. they had scattered rocket attacks and bombings. organizers tell us the attacks closed at least 11 polling sites. >>> hurricane bill weakening slightly. category three still churning across the atlantic. forecasters are warning it could regain category four strength sometime later today. that hurricane is expected to start pushing large swells towards bermuda and parts of the southeastern u.s. coast by the weekend. rob marciano saying he did want to turn slightly north ward, which is a good sign in terms of hitting the coast. >> certainly is. >>> every day this month, president obama is working on the make-or-break health care fu push. the latest step, talking up reform with faith-based religious leaders. in the conference call of 140,000 people, the pres