Scotland frees Libyan agent Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi (picture) - the only person convicted for downing a US passenger jet that killed 270 people over Lockerbie in 1988 - on compassionate grounds.
57-year-old Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi (in white attire) leaves for home in Libya after being freed from a life sentence in a Scottish jail because he is dying of prostate cancer.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi (C) given a hero's welcome upon landing in Libya, sparking fury in the US and Britain which both warn Tripoli of serious diplomatic repercussions.
Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam (R) raising the hand of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi on arriving in Tripoli. Seif al-Islam says Megrahi's release is linked to Britain's interest in Libyan oil and gas reserves, a claim London denies.
Image grab from Libya's official television shows Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi (R) meeting freed Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi (L).
Libyans attend a welcoming ceremony for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi (not seen) upon his arrival in Tripoli. The freed Lockerbie bomber says he will produce evidence showing that he suffered a miscarriage of justice.
Libyans gather at Tripoli airport and wave Libyan flags while awaiting the arrival of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the scenes of the Lockerbie bomber being welcomed home in Libya as a hero are "deeply upsetting, deeply distressing".
US President Obama (L), speaking on a radio programme, says the release of the dying Lockerbie bomber by the Scottish government is a "mistake" and that he should be placed under house arrest on return to Libya.
A man protests after Scotland freed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi from prison. Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence agent, was serving a life sentence when he became terminally ill with prostate cancer.
Photo dated 22 December 1988 shows the cockpit of the 747 Pan Am Boeing that exploded over Lockerbie killing all 259 on board - most of them American - and 11 on the ground.
Graphic showing the known sequence of events leading to the 1988 Pan Am airline bombing that killed all 259 people aboard the London to New York flight, plus 11 people on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
People look at the damage caused by the explosion of the 747 Pan Am Boeing over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing all 259 on board and 11 on the ground.
Debris lies in a deep gash through the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, caused by the crash of Pan Am flight 103 (file picture).
Aisha Al Megrahi (2nd L), wife of convicted Lockerbie bomber Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, joins a silent march to the Scottish Parliament to highlight alleged miscarriages of justice. (file picture)
James Wolfe, who lost his daughter, watches as his wife Rosemary Wolfe places flowers on a memorial after a service for the 19th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Aisha (R), the wife of Libyan Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi, and her sons.
Memorial stones in memory of victims of Pan-Am flight 103 are pictured in a garden of remembrance near the village of Lockerbie in southwest Scotland.
Sonia Stratis, whose father was killed on Pan Am Flight 103, stands at a memorial for victims of the terrorist bombing during a ceremony in Arlington Virginia.
The HMP (Her Majesty's Prison) Greenock, where Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al-Megrahi was housed before his release.
Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi being escorted by security officials. Photo taken on 18 February 1992.
Libyan Al-Amin Khalika Fhimah (C) is welcomed by members of his family and friends upon his arrival in Tripoli in 2001. Al-Amin Khalifa Fhimah was acquitted of all charges against him in the Lockerbie bombing trial.
