Libyan convicted of Lockerbie bombing, seeks bail

Lawyers for Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing an airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988 killing 270 people, asked a court yesterday to free him on bail because he has cancer.

Lawyer Maggie Scott made an appeal for bail at Scotland's High Court, saying Mr Megrahi was very ill and "doesn't have very long to live".

Mr Megrahi's lawyers said last month that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had spread to other parts of his body and was now at an advanced stage.

They want him freed on bail pending the outcome of an appeal against his conviction.

The Pan Am jumbo jet was blown up as it flew from London to New York on December 18, 1988, killing all 259 people on board, including 189 Americans.