Al-Megrahi's return will be a landmark event in Libya and a cause for celebration. His countrymen see him as an innocent victim scapegoated by the West in a campaign to turn their country into an international pariah. Many will also view his release as a moral victory for their country.



Yet it was not immediately clear exactly how al-Megrahi would be received Thursday night. He could be taken to meet Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi or appear at an annual rally held every year on Aug. 20 for Libyans to hear a progress report from Gadhafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, on projects he is working on.
However, al-Megrahi may also go directly to a hospital if he needs immediate medical care.

"It is very important, I think, for the reputation of our institutions of justice that it is made clear beyond any doubt that this was not connected with some political trade," David Lidington, the Conservative Party's spokesman on foreign affairs, told the BBC.