Megrahi says in book he was framed

[This is the headline over a report on page 7 of today's Scottish edition of The Sunday Times. It does not feature on the newspaper's website. The report reads in part:]

The Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing claims he will produce evidence that will prove he was framed for Britain's worst terrorist atrocity.

A forthcoming book co-written by (...) Megrahi alleges that British and American authorities knew that a crucial piece of evidence linking Libya to the downing of Pan Am 103 was planted.

Documents obtained by his defence team are said to reveal that a fragment of electronic timer -- said to be part of the bomb -- was subjected to forensic testing before Megrahi's trial in 2000. The Libyan claims that the tests failed to detect explosive residues on the fragment but that this information was not revealed at his trial.

Sources close to Megrahi believe evidence of such tests would severely undermine the safety of his conviction.

At the Libyan's trial (...) forensic scientists testified that the fragment was part of a circuit board used as a trigger for the bomb. They stated it had not been tested for explosive residues. (...)

This evidence (...) helped to convict Megrahi. (...)

The Sunday Times has also seen unpublished British intelligence documents from 1989 revealing that the Scottish police were convinced that a barometric bomb -- triggered by altitude, not an electronic timer -- downed Pan Am 103.

Megrahi has been working with a British journalist on a book, the publication of which is imminent.

Sources close to the project said that in Megrahi: You Are My Jury, the Libyan reveals that forensic tests were conducted on the timer fragment. It suggests the fragment was not part of the Lockerbie bomb and adds weight to claims that it was "introduced" later to bolster the case against Megrahi. (...)

The timer fragment became a key plank in the case against Megrahi (...) It was claimed that months after the December 21 bombing (...) in 1988, a tiny piece of circuit board was found in a piece of clothing  about 25 miles away from Lockerbie. The prosecution successfully linked this fragment of circuit board, described as part of the bomb trigger, to Megrahi.

In an interview with Reuters last week, Megrahi sparked controversy after he was said to have claimed that the West had "exaggerated" his role in the Lockerbie bombing. It was seen as an admission that he played a role in the atrocity.

However, Arabic speakers said Megrahi actually described himself as "a very simple man" and that "the West made a great deal more of me".

The Crown Office has asked for an accurate translation of his comments to be made.