BP, the Oil Spill and Al Megrahi

As outraged as I am over the Gulf oil spill, over BP’s carelessness and also over the deliberate dragging of its feet by the Obama Administration; if it should turn out that BP was behind the release of al Megrahi, I would not rest easy until BP was put out of business. Al Megrahi is the Libyan who was convicted of the Pan American bombing over Lockerbie, England that killed 270 people – mostly Americans. Megrahi was released from prison a year ago because he supposedly had only three months to live. Today he is still alive and appears healthy.

To see a CBS video on this, go here

The Al-Megrahi release: Blood & oil

Saturday, July 17, 2010 Pittsburgh Tribune

The fact that BP lobbied the British government for a Libyan prisoner swap adds an even darker murkiness to the mockery of last year's "compassionate" release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber.

British officials this week acknowledged the "mistake" but insist that Abdel Baset al-Megrahi's liberation last August had nothing to do with BP's big deal.

It's all just a shocking coincidence?

Mr. Al-Megrahi was let free after a preposterous prognosis that his cancer gave him only three months to live. Miraculously his life expectancy now has been extended up to 10 years.

When some U.S. senators asked what gives, the Scottish government gave nothing. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has scheduled a July 29 hearing into the BP-al-Megrahi nexus. And the U.S. State Department should demand an explanation from the British government.

Freed from justice was the only Libyan ever convicted of the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the deaths of 270 people -- mostly Americans including four Southwestern Pennsylvanians. He served only eight years.

Days after al-Megrahi's release oily BP inked a Libyan drilling contract that could net $20 billion.

Innocent blood and oil. Britain can't wipe its hands of either until it comes clean on al-Megrahi's release and returns him to a prison cell.