Tripoli  - The Libyan man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people were killed arrived in Tripoli Thursday night, the official JANA news agency reported.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who is terminally ill with prostate cancer, arrived with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader, Moamer Gaddafi. Al-Megrahi was welcomed by a huge crowd of Libyans who waited for him at the airport along with his family and some officials.

The 57-year-old Libyan was released following a controversial decision by the Scottish authorities to free him on health grounds so that he could die in his native country.

Before he left Scotland, he was seen shielding his face with a white scarf and the collar of his white track suit as he walked up the gangway of the Airbus unaided, but supported by a cane. (dpa)