Lockerbie Stirs Controversy

Britain's special relationship with the US took a heavy knock in August 2009 on account of the release of the only man convicted of blowing up an American airliner (Panam) over Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the 57-year old Libyan serving a life sentence in a Scottish Jail since 2001 was released by the semi-autonomous Scottish government on compassionate grounds as he was said to be terminally ill with cancer. The US had pleaded to show no mercy for the man responsible for the death of 270 people (189 of them Americans). President Barack Obama denounced the release which was alleged to be part of a trade deal between Britain and Libya. Britain denied that the freeing of Megrahi was linked  to a any deal.