The United States has only a limited ability to influence whether calm or chaos follows the ascension of a new regime in Libya. But there is one thing we can and should try to influence: the fate of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Even though recent reports suggest that he is near death, the U.S. owes it to his victims to make every effort to secure his extradition to this country. He should spend his last days — or hours — here, under American justice.
Al-Megrahi, a former intelligence officer and head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, was convicted by a Scottish court in connection with the Lockerbie bombing. In its civilian death toll, this tragedy was the bloodiest terrorist attack in modern history before 9/11: 270 people were killed, including 189 Americans. Although no cameras were in the nighttime sky to capture their deaths, they were every bit as horrific as those at the World Trade Center. Forensic investigators found evidence that the flight crew, some of the flight attendants, and 147 passengers survived the bomb blast and depressurization of the aircraft, and were still alive as the shattered remnants made their six-mile, two-minute descent to earth.
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