U.S. Drops Sanctions on Libya Defector

Did Musa Kusa get off easy? The United States has dropped financial sanctions against the former Libyan foreign minister and Gaddafi confidant, who defected from the dictator’s regime and fled to London last week. The government apparently hopes that unfreezing Kusa’s bank accounts and allowing him to conduct business deals will lure other top Gaddafi officials into defecting from the regime as well. Relaxing the sanctions is a touchy diplomatic decision, however, because of Kusa’s implication in mass murder, including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in Scotland. Separately, however, British citizens could file suit against Kusa for his role in supplying the IRA with weapons.