Devastating stash of documents left in British Ambassador's residence
Britain gave Libyan secret police questions to interrogate dissidents
We even informed Gaddafi how Cobra works and MI6 budget
The startling extent to which Labour misled the world over the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber is exposed today in top-secret documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday.
In public, senior Ministers from the last Labour Government and the Scottish First Minister have repeatedly insisted that terminally ill Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds in a decision taken by Scottish Ministers alone.
But the confidential papers show that Westminster buckled under pressure from Colonel Gaddafi, who threatened to ignite a 'holy war' if Megrahi died in his Scottish cell.
And despite repeated denials, the Labour Government worked frantically behind the scenes to appease Gaddafi's 'unpredictable nature'.
As recently as last month, a spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond was insisting: 'The decision was taken on the basis of Scots law and was not influenced by economic, political or diplomatic factors.'
The revelations come in documents some marked UK secret: UK/Libya Eyes Only found strewn on the floor of the British Ambassadors abandoned residence in Tripoli.
Many of the papers demonstrate the warmth of the relationship between Britain and Libya and, in particular, the extraordinarily close links between the Blair Government and the Gaddafi regime.
The notes show how:
Tony Blair helped Colonel Gaddafis playboy son Saif with his dodgy PhD thesis while he was Prime Minister.
British Special Forces were offered to train the Khamis Brigade, Gaddafis most vicious military unit.
MI6 was apparently willing to trace phone numbers for Libyan intelligence.
Gordon Brown wrote warmly to Gaddafi in 2007 expressing the hope that the dictator would be able to meet Prince Andrew when he visited Tripoli.
MI6s budget (£150 million in 2002) was readily disclosed to Libyan officials, along with details of how Britains Downing Street emergency committee Cobra operates.
Britains intelligence services forged close links with Gaddafis brutal security units.
Megrahi was released two years ago and transferred back to Libya, where he received a heros welcome from Gaddafi. Last week, it emerged he is still alive although very ill after he was tracked down to his home in Tripoli.
A series of documents marked confidential and restricted reveal that Gaddafi threatened Britain with dire consequences if Megrahi died in Scotland.
Diplomats feared the harassment or worse of British nationals; the cancellation of lucrative contracts with firms such as BP, Shell and BG; and the end of defence deals and counter-terrorism co-operation.
Devastating stash of documents left in British Ambassador's residence
Britain gave Libyan secret police questions to interrogate dissidents
We even informed Gaddafi how Cobra works and MI6 budget
The startling extent to which Labour misled the world over the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber is exposed today in top-secret documents obtained by The Mail on Sunday.
In public, senior Ministers from the last Labour Government and the Scottish First Minister have repeatedly insisted that terminally ill Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds in a decision taken by Scottish Ministers alone.
But the confidential papers show that Westminster buckled under pressure from Colonel Gaddafi, who threatened to ignite a 'holy war' if Megrahi died in his Scottish cell. And despite repeated denials, the Labour Government worked frantically behind the scenes to appease Gaddafi's 'unpredictable nature'.
As recently as last month, a spokesman for Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond was insisting: 'The decision was taken on the basis of Scots law and was not influenced by economic, political or diplomatic factors.'
The revelations come in documents -- some marked 'UK secret: UK/Libya Eyes Only' -- found strewn on the floor of the British Ambassador's abandoned residence in Tripoli. Many of the papers demonstrate the warmth of the relationship between Britain and Libya and, in particular, the extraordinarily close links between the Blair Government and the Gaddafi regime.
The notes show how:
Tony Blair helped Colonel Gaddafi's playboy son Saif with his 'dodgy' PhD thesis while he was Prime Minister.
British Special Forces were offered to train the Khamis Brigade, Gaddafi's most vicious military unit.
MI6 was apparently willing to trace phone numbers for Libyan intelligence.
Gordon Brown wrote warmly to Gaddafi in 2007 expressing the hope that the dictator would be able to meet Prince Andrew when he visited Tripoli.
MI6's budget (£150 million in 2002) was readily disclosed to Libyan officials, along with details of how Britain's Downing Street emergency committee Cobra operates. Britain's intelligence services forged close links with Gaddafi's brutal security units.
Megrahi was released two years ago and transferred back to Libya, where he received a hero's welcome from Gaddafi. Last week, it emerged he is still alive -- although very ill -- after he was tracked down to his home in Tripoli. A series of documents marked 'confidential' and 'restricted' reveal that Gaddafi threatened Britain with 'dire consequences' if Megrahi died in Scotland.
Diplomats feared the harassment -- 'or worse' -- of British nationals; the cancellation of lucrative contracts with firms such as BP, Shell and BG; and the end of defence deals and counter-terrorism co-operation.
Continued on Page 47
#2
Britain has no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.
Apparently they don't even have permanent interests any longer. Nor a government IQ higher than a yob's spew in the gutter on a Saturday night.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
09/04/2011 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#3
The only real government Britain has these days is in Brussels.
[An Nahar] Sheikh Maymun Zarzur, a Lebanese imam, was killed after leading prayers at the Mohammedan Welfare House in London, the Islamic center said Saturday.
Zarzour was found dead on Friday after leading the early morning Mohammedan (Fajr) prayers at the Islamic community center, Mohammedan Welfare House said.
Police said they had locked away a man at the scene on suspicion of murder.
According to a Moslem Brüderbund official in Leb, Zarzur is Lebanese and from the southern Iqleem al-Kharoub region. He was in his 40's.
Zarzur had been the imam at the Mohammedan Welfare House in north London since 2009.
"Our imam has passed away," the center said on its website. "It is thought that he was killed inside his office. We would like to send our condolences to all the Mohammedans in north London and the UK.
"The sheikh was very friendly and never had an argument with anyone in the community during his career in this mosque."
Other than with the guy who killed him...
Friday's Fajr prayer is listed on the trust's website as being at 04:38am.
Scotland Yard said they had made one arrest. "Police were called by London Ambulance Service at 10:21am on Friday to reports of a man seriously injured at Mohammedan Welfare House in Seven Sisters Road, north London," a spokeswoman said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. While detectives await formal confirmation of his identity, they are contacting his family, who live outside Britannia. A post-mortem examination is being arranged, the spokeswoman said.
"A man was locked away at the scene on suspicion of murder. At this stage we are not seeking to make any further arrests."
Police have opened an incident room and are appealing for witnesses.
Officers are working closely with the Mohammedan Welfare House "to reassure the community during this difficult time.
"Inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and any motive; although we believe the person we have locked away attended the mosque.
"This is not believed to be a race/faith hate crime."
The Mohammedan Welfare House was founded in 1970 and functions as a community center. It is a registered charity with offices, two training centers, a youth center, a library and prayer rooms for men and women.
Continued on Page 47
This article starring:
Sheikh Maymun Zarzur
Posted by: Fred ||
09/04/2011 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11131 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
He been messin' around with somebody's ol' lady?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
