Wikileaks: UK 'feared Megrahi prison death'

Megrahi was convicted of murdering 270 people in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing

The UK feared harsh action by Libya against British interests if the Lockerbie bomber died in jail, cables published by Wikileaks claim.

The US cables say London fully supported the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi by the Scottish authorities.

The details, published in the Guardian, allege Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi made "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals if Megrahi stayed in jail.

The UK was "between a rock and a hard place", one cable to Washington said.

The British ambassador in Libya allegedly told a US diplomat that the Libyans could "cut us off at the knees".

British diplomats planned dramatic and pre-emptive measures preparing for hostile demonstrations and leaving only essential staff in the embassy.

'Enormous repercussions'

The American charge d'affaires in London, Richard LeBaron, wrote a cable to Washington in October 2008.

"The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly," he said.

In January 2009 the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, confirmed that "dire" reprisals had been threatened against the UK, and the British were braced to take "dramatic" steps for self-protection.

The Libyans "convinced UK embassy officers that the consequences if Megrahi were to die in prison… would be harsh, immediate and not easily remedied… specific threats have included the immediate cessation of all UK commercial activity in Libya, a diminishment or severing of political ties, and demonstrations against official UK facilities.

Mr Cretz added: "[Libyan] officials also implied, but did not directly state, that the welfare of UK diplomats and citizens in Libya would be at risk."

'Disastrous implications'

The British ambassador in Tripoli, Vincent Fean, "expressed relief" when Megrahi was released, the US cables reported.

"He noted that a refusal of Megrahi's request could have had disastrous implications for British interests in Libya. 'They could have cut us off at the knees,' Fean bluntly said."

The Scottish government released Megrahi in August 2009 on compassionate grounds because he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.

A spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This is all diplomatic tittle tattle from US diplomats, but what there is, totally vindicates the Scottish government's position.

"The cables confirm what we always said, that our only interest was taking a justice decision based on Scots law without fear or favour, which was exactly what was done, and that our public position was identical to our private one."

Details of the cables are the latest revelations on the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks to appear in the Guardian.

Meanwhile, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been refused bail by a court in London but vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.

Mr Assange denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden. He was remanded in custody pending a hearing next week.

Mr Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, has claimed the charges are "politically motivated".

By: BBC News