Bad Medicine

Lockerbie Bomber's Cancer Overstated

May have had more than three months to live.

What was Scotland thinking? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that doctors had no final agreement on the status of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi's prostate cancer. Megrahi was convicted of killing 270 people—including 189 Americans—in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and had been sentenced to life with a minimum of 27 years behind bars. His early release in August 2009 prompted an international outcry. Megrahi qualified for a "compassionate release" under Scottish law, as medical reports stated he had less than three months to live. But documents have surfaced that reveal that his condition may not have been as dire as suggested by Dr. Andrew Fraser, who generated the singular medical basis for Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill's decision to free Megrahi. While doctors agreed that his condition was terminal, "No specialist 'would be willing to say'" if he had more than three months to live. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is investigating the release.