Lockerbie bomber's condition worsens

TRIPOLI, Libya -- The former Libyan intelligence officer convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing is slipping in and out of consciousness, his family said yesterday, a week after the regime that protected him was ousted from power.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was the only person convicted in the bombing over Scotland that killed 270 people. He was released from a Scottish prison on humanitarian grounds in 2009, only eight years into a life sentence, after doctors predicted he would die of prostate cancer in three months.

Many victims' families were infuriated by his release. That fury only grew when he returned to a hero's welcome in Libya, remained alive long past those doctors' predictions and even appeared at a recent pro-Gadhafi rally. The downfall of the Gadhafi regime spurred calls from some in the United States and Europe that he be returned to prison.

The Obama administration has asked the rebels to review his case, with an eye toward potentially expelling him if he does not die in the meantime, a U.S. official said yesterday.

Washington has asked rebel officials to "take a hard look at what it thinks ought to happen with Mr. Megrahi, and it is committed to do that," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

"This is a guy with blood on his hands, the lives of innocents. Libya itself under Gadhafi made a hero of this guy. Presumably, a new, free, democratic Libya would have a different attitude toward a convicted terrorist," Nuland said.

But First Minister Alex Salmond, head of the semiautonomous Scottish government, said yesterday that only his administration could demand al-Megrahi's extradition -- and that it did not intend to do so. Al-Megrahi has abided by the conditions set upon his release, Salmond said, including keeping Scottish authorities updated on his medical status and not committing any new crimes. He suggested that those calling for al-Megrahi's return to jail instead allow the bomber "to die in peace."

Libya's rebel leaders, who are scrambling to replace Gadhafi's regime with a government of their own, initially said they would not deport al-Megrahi or any other Libyan, then softened their stance, saying only the future elected government could deal with such issues.