Funeral of Lockerbie bomber

The death of Megrahi has reignited the debate as to whether he should have been allowed back to Libya to die three years ago.

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Secretary for Justice, has defended that decision:

Around a hundred family members and mourners, including a few Gaddafi-era officials, attended the funeral of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. He died yesterday in his home surrounded by his family.

His funeral has not made any of the three main television channels in Libya so far: many within the country are focused on the upcoming elections after overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi last year.

US Senator Charles Schumer said it was a "grave injustice" that Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was allowed to die at home, surrounded by his family and friends.

The New York state senator said the Lockerbie bomb attack that killed 270 people was one of the "greatest injustices that has happened in the last hundred years"

The plane crash in Lockerbie, Scotland, took a heavy toll on New York, with 35 students from Syracuse University and two from the State University of New York at Oswego among the 270 victims.

The only man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, has been buried with little fanfare near the Libyan capital, with just under 100 family members and passers-by in attendance.

Dumfries and Galloway police say their Lockerbie investigation will continue in order to bring justice to the others involved. I think it's fair to say people in Lockerbie are not spending much time reflecting on the death of al-Megrahi, most just want to move on.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commision (SCCRC) confirmed that al-Megrahi's family or 'an interested party' can apply to have his conviction reviewed again. However SCCRC will not accept a case where the only issues raised are the same as matters it rejected in the previous review.

If a new application for a review is made SCCRC would consider reasons for the abandonment of al-Megrahi's 2nd appeal before it would accept the case.

Bert Ammerman, whose brother died in the Lockerbie bomb said the death of al-Megrahi was no reason to stop investigating who was behind the atrocity. He called on President Obama reopen the investigation into the attack that killed 270 people.

This morning, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon defended the Scottish Government's decision to release Megrahi from prison in 2009:

Labour leader Ed Miliband said he believed the Prime Minister's response to calls for a fresh inquiry into the conviction of al-Megrahi was correct. He told ITV Daybreak:

The funeral of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi will take place later today in Tripoli's main cemetry, according to a Libyan news agency.

The funeral was initially expected to take place on the day of Megrahi's death, in line with Islamic tradition, but was put off to allow relatives to come from Sebha, his hometown in the South of the country.