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Gordon Brown was threatened with a possible US Congress inquiry into the Lockerbie affair today amid growing American anger with Britain.
Veteran Democrat senator Frank Lautenberg called for an investigation to "expose the truth" and "uncover whether justice took a back seat to commercial interests".
It raises the prospect of Anglo-US relations being undermined further by claims that commercial interests drove the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi.
Mr Lautenberg, who represents New Jersey where many of the 270 victims lived, is the most heavyweight member of Barack Obama's democrats to vent the fury felt by many Americans.
He has written to former presidential candidate John Kerry, who chairs the Senate's foreign affairs committee, and to senior Republicans.
Although the White House has stayed out of the row so far, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was one of the first to criticise the release of Megrahi, who was given a hero's welcome when he flew back to Libya.
US Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolbo has said that America "received assurances in the Nineties that Megrahi's full sentence would be served in Scotland".
Mr Brown tried to draw a line over the affair yesterday by saying there was "no cover-up, no double dealing".
He said he "respected" the Scottish executive's decision to free Megrahi but stopped short of endorsing the decision in public.
However, Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed: "We did not want him to die in prison."
An angry backlash quickly gathered pace in American circles after the admission.
Former US Justice Department official David Rivkin said: "This will damage US relations with Britain for years to come."
A scathing editorial in the New York Daily News branded Mr Brown "a sell-out Prime Minister" who had "broken faith and ties with the US".
Professor Robert Black QC, who was architect of the Lockerbie trial, said Britain had reneged on clear pledges given to the US that Megrahi would serve his sentence in full.
He said the Government had told a "bare-faced lie" when it advised Scottish ministers that these pledges were not binding.
Megrahi, 75 and suffering terminal cancer, is being nursed under armed guard.
On being freed, he was filmed surrounded by family, friends, politicians and journalists.
But now an aide to Muammar Gaddafi has decreed that "enough is enough for brother al-Megrahi - he must be kept away from the politics".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Seyala confirmed that Megrahi was now in a VIP wing.
"He is not in a dangerous situation and is receiving treatment from a team of doctors," he said.
Mr Seyala made it clear that Megrahi's relatives and "all others" were no longer allowed to visit him so as to "ensure his safety".
Megrahi was the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am flight which crashed on the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
There was international uproar when he was released on 20 August, made worse by the televised welcome he was granted in Libyan capital Tripoli, where he is viewed as innocent.
Among those criticising the triumphant return were Mr Brown, Mr Obama and FBI director Robert Mueller.
Libya showed a video clip of Megrahi stepping off the plane from Scotland during a lavish celebration yesterday morning, marking the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Colonel Gaddafi to power in 1969 -which stoked even more anger.
Colonel Gaddafi even flew a traditional pipe band to Libya from New Zealand to play Scotland the Brave while wearing kilts in honour of the country which released Megrahi.
TV footage on Channel 4 last Sunday showed Megrahi breathing through an oxygen mask at the Tripoli Medical Centre.
But there are unlikely to be any more pictures "for the foreseeable future", said a spokesman for the centre, who confirmed that Megrahi was "alone with his room heavily guarded".
Another aide of Colonel Gaddafi said: "Al-Megrahi's state of health is a matter for his family and it is up to them how they cope.
"It was a matter of state that we secure his release and we have done so. Libya is proud."
Reader views (18)
Mr. Brown you've made a grave mistake.
Austen- yep, and we won the war but you have your head in a hole so you didn't notice.
Threaded - you wish!
Phil - we'll trade you Beckham, Madonna, and Obama. Deal??
Roy - careful laddy, methinks there are quite a few skeletons in your own countries closet when it comes to the IRA.
Overall my UK friends, fear not! My Congress will not do anything to harm Mr. Brown - just like you won't do anything either.
- Trunk, US
Brown only has himself to blame about this. He, with his government, allowed a one-sided extradition treaty and now the Yanks think they can put their noses into all our troughs; this is just one issue where we've literally bent over and had our backsides whacked by the Yanks when it suited them. They, as much as anyone, will destroy the so-called special relationship, assuming it exists if it ever did other than on the americans terms.
I think we would all be content to assist in such an inquiry provided the Yanks responded in relation to inquests of friendly-fire deaths; non-extradition of IRA members and their funding; torturing prisoners; imprisonment without trial; arranging for the assassination of a duly elected President - Allende - and replacing him with that nice Mr Pinochet. The list is almost endless. It's about time we told the americans to shove it.
By the way, David Cuff, whilst I hold no brief for Brown, he was elected and under our constitution, the Leader of the largest party is the PM. Or do you want an american-style republic?
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
Well as much as I like us to have good relations with America, it is rich of them to have all this hullabaloo whilst they turned a blind eye to the IRA killing 100's of British Citizens, can we have a Public Enquiry into how America supported the IRA?
- Paul Hopkins, London, England
I think they have got some cheek . The problems the UK had trying to extradite IRA terrorists that used to go on the run to the USA, and not forgetting the approx 9 million pounds a year "Irish" americans used to donate to the IRA/Sinn Fein
- Dave, London UK
I think it is time to ban the word spin unless it refers to a spinning top. Spin is a substitute spin or for LIE, and allow politician to LIE, sorry spin, through their teeth, If we are being made scared of using the word LIE we can always go back to our Cockney language PORKIES. PORKY-PIES has so much of a positive ring about it. Another word to be banned from politicians using is ASPIRATIONS - or a massif PORKIES. These appear around election time, or in the October before an election. I am sure your readers can come up with many more to be included on the MP's PORKIES list. EXPENSES - stealing. FACT FINDING - a holiday on voters expenses.
- Albert Hall, hove england
The nation that imprisons and tortures people without charge or trial is worried about "justice". Hmmm.
- Neil, London, London UK
to Roskilde from Denmark ('Be nice to America or they'll bring democracy to your country.'): Your comment is very clever! Hilarious and true!
- Carsten, London
Perhaps Parliament should start an enquiry into American funding for the IRA?
- Roy, England
OMG the irony of the americans, they want to see whether justice took a back seat for commercial interests, you really couldn't make it up could you.
Maybe the americans now realise how we felt, when they were turning a blind eye to the IRA for all those years.
- P Staker, Socialist Republic of Londonistan.
Strange, but Obama seems remarkably reticent on this murky Brown business.
- Ted, London
I wouldn't trust Brown to tell me the time without putting his spin on it.
- Banned By The Sun., Canterbury lockdown England.
Oh dear Gordo, probably regretting signing that not-so-reciprocal extradition treaty, aren't you?
Soon to join the Natwest 3, Gary McKinnon and many others in orange suits. Can't wait.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
Brown is going to get his comeuppance in one way or another - I hope it is in a court of law.
The man is an unelected disgrace and is destroying the UK more and more every single day.
- David Cuff, Manchester
Brown spouts "no plot, no cover-up, and no oil deal" -
In plain English, that means there was all three.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
Brown should be extradited to the U.S. -- as quickly as possible, please! The man is an embarassment and a disgrace.
- Phil Jones, London UK
Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark - Yes very good.
It would be nice if they could extradite our Gordon...That would teach the idiots in power not to have agreed to the silly and totally one sided "Extradition Act 2003".
- Mark H, London, England
Be nice to America or they'll bring democracy to your country.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
This from the same people who started the Iraq war.
- Austen, London
