Saturday 18 June 2011

Another lone gunman debunked: Conspiracy and cover-up in Lockerbie

[This is the headline over an article published yesterday on the Bread & Circuses website, vol 3 issue 11. It reads in part:]

In Libya, there were mass celebrations to honor the homecoming of their national hero, while in the Western press, there were repeated protests over the premature release of a convicted terrorist, but the whole sordid affair died within a short time, even if Megrahi hasn’t yet, and it has all been pretty much long forgotten.

If you think that’s the end of the story, you’re wrong. It’s just the beginning. And it’s a story that’s all too familiar, involving international intrigue, the CIA tampering with evidence, lies and cover-ups by disreputable prosecutors, and two world powers anxious to bring about a conviction at all costs, which included a $2 million payoff to buy fabricated witness accounting. As a result, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who may be one of the most hated men in the world, whose deteriorating health was considered too mild a punishment to many people around the world, and who has been incarcerated for perpetrating the attack on Pan-Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland since 1991, may also be innocent.

This won’t be the first time our Government has been involved in a conspiracy to commit murder, to cover up a crime, or to frame an innocent person to protect someone or something it considers more important in the big picture. In this case, the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, and Scotland were driven by a powerful need to attach this terrorist attack to a face as soon as possible. Under the circumstances, it served all of their purposes to pin it on a Libyan, without having to go to war with Libya itself. At that point, it didn’t matter all that much which Libyan, since to us Westerners, they all look alike anyway.

Between the eagerness of Scottish prosecutors and Government officials to circumvent the procedures of law to make their story fit the facts, and the $2 million dollars the United States Government put up as a bribe to anyone believable enough sell a phony story to a panel of judges hearing this case, it wasn’t all that difficult to make up a scenario that fit the crime. From beginning to end, there were inconsistencies and problems with the gathering of evidence and procedural misconduct on the part of investigators from the police department and the attorneys building this case. Using every manipulative trick and fraud they could come up with, they managed to hammer the square pegs into the round holes and Megrehi was convicted, in spite of protests not only from him and his attorneys who were denied fair access to police evidence and adequate appeals, but to people around the world who looked at the case against Megrahi and called foul. Those included private investigators from around the world who have taken an unbiased look at the evidence, to Nelson Mandela who pleaded with the Church of Scotland to independently investigate the case against Megrahi on their own.

In 2009, under mounting pressure, the Scottish Government had no choice but to allow the appeal to reopen the case. At this point, the British, American, and Scottish Governments were in a quandary. The latest appeal process and the world attention it was bringing, was going to open more than a can of worms for those closest to the conspiracy. It was going to open all the evidence, including formerly withheld and altered evidence, much of which was clearly tampered with by the authorities pressing for a conviction, to public scrutiny that they were previously able to keep a lid on.

So instead of taking that chance on having to explain the obvious framing and conspiracy to defraud the Courts, a deal was struck and Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was set free. While President Obama and Prime Minister Tony Blair were displaying their public outrage over Megrahi’s early release, behind the scenes they were wiping the sweat from each other’s brows, knowing that a serious political crisis had been averted. Unfortunately, the victims and their surviving families of the bombing of Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, must live with the frustration of believing that the murderer of their loved ones was freed on humanitarian grounds, when in fact, they should be more outraged than anyone else that the truth of what really happened will remain buried with the dead.

This is one of those stories that you will not see in the mainstream news media run by multi-national corporations in this country. This story was reported in a documentary film released on Al Jazeera English, the Arab news network. Before you judge the reliability of the source based on prejudices and opinions formulated for you by the American news networks with a strong motive in not wanting us to listen to this news forum with an opened mind, please watch this video and judge for yourself.

7 comments:

  1. This is brilliant, straight to the point. But there is one point left out. If you look carefully at Megrahi's release there are strange inconsistencies in the procedure. So was the whole scenario concocted to get Megrahi out of prison as the prisoner exchange route had the potential to have been subject to judicial review? Obviously this would have needed the agreement and participation of both sides. But what would Libya have got in dropping the appeal, which Megrahi would no doubt have won? It couldn't have been just trade, trade benefits both sides. I suspect that it was an agreement for the UK to fully support and arm the regime. In the uprising British water cannon and armoured cars were used against the protestors. Sniper rifles were exported just months before Gaddafi’s troops began killing protesters. British police officers secretly trained members of Libya's force and UK Special Forces trained the Libyan army.
    The actions of the UK government immediately after the uprising were slow and odd.

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  2. The only thing missing from this documentary (which surprised me since Al Jazeera has access in the Arab world) is interviews with Megrahi and maybe Libyan security figures at the time. I am sure they have vital information we've not heard.

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  3. Ruth asked: "But what would Libya have got in dropping the appeal, which Megrahi would no doubt have won?"

    The answer is Libya was relieved of liability to pay compensation to victims of IRA terrorism:

    "Speculation has been heightened over the possible nature of a deal involving Megrahi as a bargaining chip, with an open letter from Shrewsbury Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski.

    "He argued that Megrahi was an important tool in getting Libya to move on other issues, including turning over the killers of PC Yvonne Fletcher, who was murdered outside the Libyan embassy in 1984, and getting compensation for victims of the IRA, which was supplied with weapons from Libya.

    "These series of issues can only be negotiated at government to government level between the UK and Libya," he said in the letter to Mr MacAskill. "By making a decision on Megrahi now you are, in effect, throwing away a major bargaining chip."

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  4. "In 2009, under mounting pressure, the Scottish Government had no choice but to allow the appeal to reopen the case."

    Eh?

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  5. MISSION LOCKERBIE, 2011, doc. nr. 1301.rtf. (only in german language):

    This is one of those stories that you will not see in the mainstream news media run by multi-national corporations.

    Nach der fragwürdigen, aber rechtsgültigen Verurteilung des libyschen offiziellen Abdelbaset Al Megrahi (2001) sollte Libyen für den Schaden (US$ 2.7 milliarden) der Hinterbliebenen von PanAm 103 aufkommen damit das UN und US Embargo gegen Libyen aufgehoben wurde.
    Nachdem sich der Staat Libyen vorsorglich nur für den Schaden verantwortlich zeigte, welcher angeblich von einem libyschen Staatsbürger verursacht wurde, übernahm überraschenderweise, der mit England "gut befreundete" Sohn von Leader Gadhafi, Saif el Islam (GIFCA Foundation) die Schadenersatzforderung über US$ 2.7 milliarden!

    Woher kam diese Geldsumme ? Kapitalkräftige Grossfirmen in UK stellten Saif el Islam's Foundation (GIFCA) US$ 2.7 milliarden, über die schweizer Bank für internationalen Zahlungsausgleich (BIZ) zur Verfügung.
    Anstössig war die im Agreement, durch "Nötigung" erzwungene und *übereilte Auszahlung der Schadenersatzforderungen aus dem hinterlegten (BIZ) Deposit;
    *ohne das von Erfolg versprechende zweite Appeal abzuwarten...

    Alle Ereignisse und Fortsetzungen nach dem "Lockerbie-Fall" zwischen Great Britain and Libyen, Oil Companys, vorzeitige Freilassung von Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, "Verkauf" Libyen an UK etc. beruhen auf der "REWARD" für die geleistete englische Hilfe von US$ 2.7 milliarden, an Seif el Islam's (GIFCA).
    Eine ergänzender englischer Dokumentar Film (zu Aljazeera: Lockerbie: "The Pan Am bomber") wird demnächst mehr Licht in die englischen und schottischen "Machenschaften" in der "Lockerbie-Affäre" bringen...
    Seif el Islam, Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, Mebo Ltd. und andere Personen, wurden wurden für die "Lockerbie-Affäre" missbraucht !

    by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Telecommunication Switzerland. URL: www.lockerbie.ch

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  6. As stated above, I believe Libya agreed in August 2009 to drop Megrahi's appeal in exchange for UK immunity from potential compensation claims by victims of IRA terrorism. (One such victim is of course Baroness Thatcher, who survived the 1984 Brighton bombing.)

    Libya had already been granted immunity in America. In one of his last acts before the US election in November 2008, President Bush Jr signed an executive order restoring Libyan immunity from terrorism-related lawsuits and dismissing pending cases over compensation.

    Congress unanimously adopted the Libyan Claims Resolution Act, sponsored by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, which cleared the way to end the feud between the US and Libya and created the victim compensation fund.

    Under the agreement, Libya paid more than $500 million to settle remaining claims from the Lockerbie case and more than $280 million for victims of the Berlin disco bombing. It also set aside funds to compensate victims of several other incidents blamed on Libya, although Libya did not accept responsibility.

    In exchange, Libya was exempted from legislation passed in 2008 enabling terrorism victims to be compensated using frozen assets of governments blamed for attacks. Tripoli sought the protection to encourage US companies to invest in Libya without fear of being sued by terrorism victims or their families.

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  7. MISSION LOCKERBIE, 2011, doc. nr.1956/b.rtf. (Google Translation, German/English):

    A "bomb bag" brand "Samsonite" was demonstrably not from feeder flight PA-103/A from Frankfurt transfed to the main-flight PA-103 at London Heathrow. Thus, the transfer of a "Bomb-Bag" from Air Malta's flight KM 180 into Pan Am 103/A in Frankfurt is a criminal lie !
    Reason:

    The container AVE 4041 PA for main-flight PA-103 was on 21 December 1988 around 17:00 clock, between the parking area K16 on tarmac near the departing flight PA-103, parking at K14.
    John Bedford was a Pan Am luggage loader at the airport Heathrow. Bedford selected and was responsible on this time for the initial loading of luggage container AVE 4041 PA, from which the blast would later originate.
    Only two INTERLINE suitcases of "Samsonite" (not from Frankfurt) were seen inside, destined for container AVE 4041 PA, BEFORE the ONLINE luggage from Germany flight PA-103/A ARRIVED !
    (Bedford statement to Detective Constable Adrian Dixon, January 9, 1989).

    From the feeder flight PA-103/A of Frankfurt was subsequently only ONE (1) online luggage brand "Samsonite", from Pan Am *pilot John Hubbard, in the container AVE 4041 loaded, which contained no explosives ! This fact proves that the "Samsonite suitcase bomb" has been smuggle sth in, at the London Heathrow Airport !!!
    * (from Hubbard's two (2) bags, only one (1) of which was in the bomb container AVE 4041 PA. Hubbard's second "Samsonite Bag" was moved from Heathrow (LHR) to Seattle with another flight and was delivered two days later to Hubbard...)

    An Police Report (DW-749/G3) of Douglas Roxburgh, a policeman for Dumfries & Galloway Constabulatory next described the procedure for storing and inventorying items retrieved from ground in Lockerbie:
    William Williamsen, a Detective Inspector then testified that PanAm John Hubbard's one "Samsonite" online bag was found in Lockerbie with a rush tag on it. The police concluded it was in the luggage container which contained the bomb bag (AVE 4041 PA), but have no blast damage !
    Other bags also identified as having come from Frankfurt in AVE 4041 PA and recovered at Lockerbie:
    1 bag of Ms. Susan Costa; 1 bag belonging to Adolf Weinacker; (neither of these persons were passengers);
    1 bag from Francis Boyer; 1 bag from Patricia Mary Coyle (had 2 bags, one of which was in the bomb container AVE 4041 PA); Passenger Karen Nooan had checked in 3 bags, only 1 bag of which was in pallet 4041; Finally, the testmony showed that Thomas E. Walker had 2 suitcases in Container 4041.

    Facts: no second online *Samsonite" suitcase from the shuttle PA-103/A (arriving from Frankfurt) was *unloaded in the container AVE-4041 PA in Heathrow !

    by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Switzerland. URL: www.lockerbie.ch

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