'You have made a mockery of justice�: FBI boss� astonishing attack on MacAskill
By Paul Hutcheon, Tom Gordon and James Cusick

THE director of the FBI has accused Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill of rewarding terrorists by releasing the Lockerbie bomber.

In a savage rebuke, Robert Mueller said MacAskill's decision had mocked the grief of the Lockerbie relatives and allowed Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to receive a "jubilant welcome" in Libya.

In a letter that will further strain America's relationship with Scotland, the USA's most senior law enforcement official also claimed that the SNP Government had not consulted the FBI on Megrahi's release.

MacAskill last week allowed Megrahi, who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing in 2001, to be freed from Greenock prison on compassionate grounds.

The decision caused international uproar and prompted US President Barack Obama, as well as the families of the 270 victims, to condemn the decision.

Mueller has revealed the extent of America's anger towards the Scottish Government in an astonishingly bitter letter to the Justice Secretary.

The FBI boss said he was "outraged" at the decision: "Your action makes a mockery of the rule of law. Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world."

He continued: "Your action rewards a terrorist even though he never admitted to his role in this act of mass murder and even though neither he nor the government of Libya ever disclosed the names and roles of others who were responsible."

He added: "But most importantly, your action makes a mockery of the grief of the families who lost their own on December 21, 1988."

Mueller said the Justice Secretary had "never once sought our opinion", despite the FBI and Scottish police working closely on the Lockerbie case.

Mueller's letter is a damning response to the most controversial decision made by a Scottish Minister since devolution. It is improbable that he wrote the letter without the implicit support of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama.

However, Bob Baer, a former CIA field officer, said he had doubts about Megrahi's conviction. "The evidence against Libya and Syria is better than the evidence against Megrahi," he said.

Libyan leader Col Gadaffi praised the SNP and First Minister Alex Salmond for the decision. He said: "To my friends in Scotland, the Scottish National Party, and Scottish prime minister, and the foreign secretary, I praise their courage for having proved their independence in decision making despite the unacceptable and unreasonable measures that they faced."

He also claimed that his "friend" Gordon Brown had "contributed to encouraging" the Scottish Government to free Megrahi.

The Sunday Herald can reveal that VisitScotland, the quango in charge of tourism, is frantically working behind the scenes to quell the American backlash. The body expects cancellations from US citizens who have arranged holidays to Scotland, and have already received emails from angry Americans about Lockerbie. It has briefed staff on how to deal with irate calls, contacted trade groups and called US stakeholders to gauge reaction.

Former First Minister Jack McConnell condemned the Megrahi decision. He said: "The events have damaged Scotland. They have damaged the reputation of our justice system and they have damaged the reputation of our country internationally."

McConnell said it would take Scotland "years to recover", adding: "Even if, and it is a big if, there was a case for additional compassionate treatment, allowing Mr Megrahi to be welcomed home in Libya as a free man should have been the last option.

"The sight of Scottish flags welcoming home a convicted bomber to Libya has shamed Scotland, and the damage done will take years to recover. We owe it to the victims to make clear that this mistake does not have the support of the nation as a whole."

Sir Menzies Campbell, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, described the letter by Robert Mueller as a "polemic". He said: "I cannot imagine a letter of this severity being sent without approval by the US government at the highest level. This letter suggests the discontent in Washington is far more severe than has so far been predicted."

MacAskill is to make an emergency statement on the Megrahi decision when Parliament is recalled tomorrow.

He is likely to face a torrid round of questioning from MSPs furious at his decision. It is understood the SNP's political opponents are keeping open the option of forcing a no-confidence vote in the Justice Secretary.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The US authorities indicated that although they were opposed to both prisoner transfer and compassionate release, they regarded compassionate release as far preferable to the transfer agreement, and Mr Mueller should be aware of that."