publish date : 20 Sunday May 2012

al-Megrahi, convicted Lockerbie bomber, reported dead

The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people has died, his brother has said.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi died at home aged 59, his brother Abdulhakim told Reuters on Sunday. His health had deteriorated quickly after a long battle with cancer, Abdulhakim said.

East Renfrewshire council said they were investigating the claims of Megrahi's death.

Megrahi was the only man convicted of the bombing, which killed 270 people when Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie four days before Christmas in 1988.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2001, but was released on compassionate grounds in August 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the time, doctors estimated he had around three months to live.

Since his return to Libya, Megrahi rarely appeared in public. His family has on several occasions said that he is near death, in what was seen as an attempt to justify his release.

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