Lockerbie verdict reaction: 'No hiding place for bombers'
The Lockerbie tragedy fostered "bonds of friendship born out of tragedy", Dumfries and Galloway convenor Andrew Campbell said today.
He was speaking after Libyan Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the biggest single act of mass murder in British history.
Co-defendant Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was found not guilty of the bombing.
Mr Campbell said the message to victims' families was: "We recognise the hardship and stress you've had over the years.
"There is no hiding place for those who carry out acts like this".
Council chief executive Philip Jones said the bombing had "denied innocent people the opportunity to live their lives".
He said he hoped the verdict would give some families a "degree of closure".
Local councillor Marjorie McQueen said many locals suffered post-traumatic stress after the bombing.
"Now we're getting on with day-to-day living," she said.
Search and rescue spokesman William Parr, who helped to recover bodies on the day of the bombing, said: "We saw things that none of you would wish to see".
