SecretMethod70

You know, when I heard this might happen, they interviewed two people who were related to a victim. One made the argument you just made. I didn't understand it then, and I don't understand it now. Are we so lacking in self-awareness that we allow ourselves to sink to the same levels as our criminals without even realizing the irony? No, bombing that plane did not involve any compassion, but I'll be damned if I'm going to lose my compassion just because someone else has. When you focus on revenge rather than societal safety as a reason for locking someone up, you're no better than they are.

Of course, the other family member they interviewed supported this release, not just because of the compassionate grounds on which it occurred, but also because of the doubts which exist regarding the man's guilt. I admit to not knowing much about the case against him, but from what I understand the case against him was flimsy in the first place, with most evidence pointing to Syria not Libya. The bomb was allegedly planted by Maghir in Malta, where it then miraculously would have survived two changeovers. More likely, the bomb was planted in the UK, where there was a break in at Heathrow Airport (which was evidence suppressed at trial). Now, he's still moving through the appeals process and has been having some success recently as more and more suppressed evidence is coming to light. It's worth noting that public opinion in Scotland, where they've been getting a lot more info about this than we have, is on the side of Maghir. Letting him go avoids the possibility that he will be successful in his appeal and force a new and expensive investigation along with the embarrassment of locking up the wrong man.

Daniel_: I agree with your observations. In fact, it was only when listening to BBC World News that I got the additional information about his potential innocence.

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