"A price worth paying"?

Is the price of releasing al-Megrahi, in order to oil the wheels of deals between Libya and UK companies including BP, actually possible future terrorist acts in the UK? That is the prospect that The News of The World raises this morning as it reports that:

"BRITAIN was facing the likelihood of an increased terror threat last night — after America’s CIA chiefs threatened to stop sharing vital intelligence with us following the Lockerbie bomber’s release.

...

... the fallout following the bomber’s release has now worsened with the CIA threat to stop sharing information on terrorists gathered by their agents.

They have also warned they may not pass on vital information picked up by their sophisticated eavesdropping satellites.

The Americans are furious at the bomber’s release — and at revelations this week that the Libyans had been told privately that Gordon Brown did not want al-Megrahi to die in jail.

Now senior security sources in Britain have told the News of the World the row threatens to put Britain’s security at risk.

They say American intelligence was vital in Operation Pathway — which thwarted a possible UK al Qaeda operation in April.

It also helped foil the plot to blow up an airplane flying out of Heathrow in 2006.

...

One security source revealed: “A large number of CIA agents are effectively British intelligence officers. They are doing a terribly important job.”

He added that the FBI had joined forces with the CIA to show the US anger. The recent public letter from FBI director Robert Mueller lambasting the bomber’s release was written “because the CIA are so p****d off with us but dare not speak it, so the FBI are doing it instead. That is unprecedented.”"

That's this Labour government for you; compassionate to terrorists and happy to deal with sponsors of terrorism (former and current), whilst seemingly quite content to increase the risks of UK citizens being blown to pieces. Thanks Jack, thanks Peter, thanks Gordon, thanks Tony.