Should al-Megrahi have been released? A Spectator poll

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Alexander Larman

What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?

Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, on compassionate grounds has caused controversy around the world — in America and also in Britain. But though he has deplored the rejoicing on the streets of Tripoli, at the time of writing Gordon Brown had still refused to comment on the affair other than to say that it was not his place to interfere.

But while Downing Street maintained its silence, the British public was happy to speak out. Over the past few days the Spectator has conducted an exclusive poll into the Lockerbie bomber’s release, and has found that of those who expressed a view, 72 per cent believe quite strongly that it was a disgrace to release al-Megrahi. ‘He was a terrorist, after all,’ some pointed out.

Many thought it would have been better for him ‘to die in prison’. ‘Not just that,’ said one of over 500 polled: ‘he should have been put in front of a firing squad.’ ‘Al-Megrahi’s return to Tripoli came far too late,’ said another man. ‘He should have gone home years ago. They should have sent his head first, and then followed it with the rest of him.’

Around a third of the 522 polled chose not to answer, usually on the reasonable grounds that they ‘don’t know all the details’. Of those who supported Kenny MacAskill’s decision, most said it should be ‘up to Scotland’ to make decisions involving a prisoner held in Scotland. Others were sceptical about al-Megrahi’s conviction. He was probably innocent in the first place, they said, so why not let him go? But they were in the minority. For the most part, when asked if al-Megrahi should have been released, the British public gave a resounding ‘No’.

Should al-Megrahi have been repatriated to Libya on compassionate grounds?

Yes: 104
No: 270
Undecided: 148

Olivia Amory, Zoe Dyson, Emma Greenlees, Toby Thomas.