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Mass murderer lives well.

Robert Kellaway and Andrea Vance | 17.11.2003 15:09 | Anti-militarism | Anti-racism | Social Struggles | London

This is the luxurious prison lifestyle of the Lockerbie bomber—the Libyan jailed for the terrorist killings of 270 people.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was sentenced to life in 2001 for his horrific attack, which blew up a packed Pan Am airliner over a tiny Scottish town.

But although caged in one of Britain's toughest jails, our exclusive pictures show the 51-year-old monster occupies a suite with facilities to rival a four-star hotel.

They include his own kitchen and shower-room, a sitting room, office, and bedroom with en-suite toilet.

Disgust

His rooms are kitted out with a colour television, video recorder, stereo and personal computer.

Prison bosses have even piped Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera—famed as the mouthpiece of terror chief Osama bin Laden—into his cell.

Meanwhile, unlike other prisoners forced to barter their precious phonecards, Al Megrahi is allowed unlimited access to the telephone.

Our astonishing photos were smuggled out of Glasgow's Barlinnie prison by an insider disgusted at facilities laid on for the bomber.

They show how floral curtains soften the lines of Al Megrahi's barred windows—and framed art prints adorn the walls of his "cell".

The sofa in his day room is big enough to seat three. His coffee table is littered with remote controls for his entertainment system.

Fresh food and meat butchered in accordance with his Muslim faith is delivered for him to prepare himself. Other hot meals are delivered to his rooms.

Intelligence officer Al Megrahi is also allowed to keep a private collection of videos, books and pictures.

Visitors to his ground floor suite have included former South African president Nelson Mandela and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The statesmen visited to check the prisoner's conditions and Mr Mandela discussed a campaign to move him to a prison in his own country.

A framed photo of Mandela seated with Al Megrahi on the cell's sofa takes pride of place on the desk.

The terrorist has also pinned postcards from pals to his wall, including one showing the London Eye.

And when he gets bored with the entertainment laid on in his suite, Al Megrahi plays his prison guards at football in an exercise yard.

The jail insider, a former employee, said: "I would be amazed if that guy wanted to move from Barlinnie—he could not do better at the Ritz.

"To my mind this bloke is a mass murderer, yet he's living like a prince at the expense of the British people.

Bigger

"From what I've seen and heard, this man's ‘cell' is bigger and better than many a Glasgow council flat.

"He's even got room service and, if the food's not to his liking, he can cook something himself."

The insider added: "I can understand why he has to be kept in solitary for his own safety, but does he have to have so many luxuries as well?

"The man is responsible for killing hundreds of people and is in one of the British Isles' toughest nicks.

"Other prisoners are banged up two to a cell and still have to slop out. Meanwhile this guy is living in total comfort with his every need catered for. The world's gone mad."

Dad Paul Hudson, who lost his 16-year-old daughter Melina in the bombing, was outraged to hear of the killer's luxury life last night.

He said at his home in New Jersey: "This is disgraceful. It's not prison, it's not punishment. This guy killed 270 people and he's got a cosy apartment.

"If he is in prison for mass murder, he should be treated as mass murderers are treated.

"That means he should be put in with the other prisoners and given the same treatment.

"People ought to be totally outraged by this." Conservative MSP Bill Aitken plans to write to Scottish Prison Service Chief Executive Tony Cameron on the issue.

He said: "Serious questions must be asked. This is simply disgraceful."

Al Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of murdering the 259 passengers and crew on board flight 103 from London to New York—plus 11 residents of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway—in December 1988.

He is due at Glasgow's High Court in eight days to hear the minimum number of years he will serve.

"Under a Euro Court ruling, judges must declare how long prisoners will be held before being considered for parole.

Al Megrahi was originally sentenced at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands in a special court under Scottish Law.

" Judges said he should serve only 20 years due to his age—and the fact he would be in a foreign prison.

In September the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission received an application from solicitors acting on behalf of the Libyan, requesting it review his conviction.

Relatives of those who died in the bombing have written "impact statements" to the High Court requesting his sentence be increased to FIFTY years to reflect their families' grief.

DO you have a st

Robert Kellaway and Andrea Vance
- Homepage: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/story_pages/news/news2.shtml

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. what a laod of crap — mr blunkett
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