Today Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was released from Greenock Prison where he was serving a 27 year sentence for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which killed 270 people Wednesday 21 December 1988. Large sections of the plane fell in and around the town of Lockerbie of which the event became known as The Lockerbie Bombing.

The decision to release Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was made by the Scottish Government based upon compassionate grounds. The government said it had consulted widely before Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill made his decision on applications for Megrahi's compassionate release or his transfer to a Libyan jail. And Mr MacAskill stressed that he accepted the conviction and sentence which had been handed to Megrahi.

"Mr al-Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days. No compassion was shown by him to them," he said.

"But that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days."

Mr MacAskill continued: "Our justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available.

"For these reasons and these reasons alone, it is my decision that Mr Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi, convicted in 2001 for the Lockerbie bombing, now terminally ill with prostate cancer, be released on compassionate grounds and be allowed to return to Libya to die."

US president Barack Obama said the decision was "a mistake" and some US victims' families reacted angrily. Some 189 Americans were among those who died in the explosion.

Although it could be argued whether he should serve out his term or not this is of little significance to the events surrounding the release. In an apparent meeting 2 years prior, the UK PM of the time and Colonel Gaddafi had discussed a deal involving the release of Megrahi.

Almost after as soon as the release was agreed, BP chairman Peter Sutherland announced the firm was investing about £500million - to search for oil in Libya.