Lockerbie trial: Quotes of the day

LONDON, England -- Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of the mass murder of 270 people in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

His co-defendant, Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, 44, was found not guilty of murder at a special court in The Netherlands on Wednesday and walks free.

Here are some of the reactions of victims' relatives, officials, lawyers and politicans to the verdicts:

Colin Boyd, the Lord Advocate of Scotland said: "The trial has now come to an end. Our thoughts are with the 270 people murdered and those bereaved by the bombing. I hope what has happened here today will help with the healing process."

Daniel Cohen, who lost his 20-year-old daughter Theodora, said from his New Jersey home in the U.S.: "I'm happier than I thought I would be. Both [the accused being convicted] would have been better, but the important thing is that the Libyan government has been indicted in this thing."

Aphrodite Tsairis, who lost Alexia Tsairis, a 20-year-old student, said outside the court at Camp Zeist: "This has been a long struggle for more than 10 years. I have a mixed reaction but the guilty verdict against al-Megrahi is a clear triumph.

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"Al Megrahi worked in the intelligence service and the Libyan Government clearly points to a case of state-sponsored terrorism."

But she added: "My heart broke when Fhimah was allowed to leave the court."

Al-Megrahi's lawyer Bill Taylor said his client "maintains his innocence, so there is nothing I can say by way of mitigation."

Bert Ammerman, the brother of a victim, said: "I would hope [U.S.] President Bush and [Secretary of State Colin] Powell will meet immediately and make an announcement that Libya will remain a rogue nation and that Gadhafi will remain a rogue leader and they will have terrorist classification until he is out as a leader."

U.S. President George W. Bush said: "I appreciate very much the Scottish court ... decision to convict a member of the Libyan intelligence Service.

"I hope the families will find some solace that a guilty verdict was rendered."

"I want to assure the families and victims the United States government continues to press Libya to accept responsibility for this act and to compensate the families," he added.

U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Bob Mueller added: "This case is not closed. The investigation continues, it has continued since the plane went down and it will continue until every individual who we can identify who played a role in this tragedy is brought to justice."

The UK prime minister's spokesman said Tony Blair was "glad that justice has been done. The Lockerbie bombing was the most heinous terrorist act of recent years.

"We also expect them (Libya) to pay compensation as awarded by the courts and this and other requirements are laid down in the United Nations Security Council resolutions and are obligatory on Libya."

Libya's ambassador to the United Nations, Abduzed Dorda, told CNN that Tripoli would "respect and implement" the verdicts of the Scottish court.

But he added: "Libya was never accused in that court and has never been tried. The prosecutors themselves said that Libya as a state had nothing at all to do with this case, at all."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "Justice has taken its course and the authority and legitimacy of the legal process must be respected.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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