A Church of Scotland minister believes the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing should be released from jail on compassionate grounds.

Abdelbaset Ali Al Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of blowing up Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, killing 280 people.

Reports surfaced this week that Megrahi, who is currently serving a life sentence, could be released within days on compassionate grounds because he has terminal prostate cancer.

The Scottish Government insists that Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has not made a decision on Megrahi’s release.

The Obama administration and relatives of those who died in the attack say Megrahi should never be released, while his supporters believe he was wrongly convicted.

The Rev Ian Galloway, Convener of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council, told Premier Radio that Megrahi should be freed as an act of mercy.

He said: “I recognise that there are some people who would not welcome it and that there are some families who lost loved ones at Lockerbie who would not want his release.

“I respect that opinion, but none the less we think it would be the right thing to release Mr Megrahi on compassionate grounds.

“There is an opportunity for us as a society to show mercy.”