Lockerbie Bomber Plagued by Gout, Polo Injuries

TRIPOLI, LIBYA - The man who blew up Pan Am Flight 103 has contracted gout from a rich diet, causing swelling to his left big toe which, in turn, has prevented him from wearing proper boots while playing polo, resulting in further injuries. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was released last year from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds that had nothing to do with Libyan oil contracts. "Purely a medical decision," said one government insider. "Al-Megrahi was dying of prostrate cancer and we wanted him with his family as opposed to being blown to pieces in mid-air." Now living with his wife and grown children in a swank, two-story villa in a wealthy Tripoli suburb, Al-Megrahi's polo game has suffered because of the gout, leading to a fall off his horse last week that left bruises and a final chukker unplayed. "He suffers so much," said the insider. "Last week, he could barely sip Tomato Florentine, and his Salmon Alfredo went untouched. The public should know that Al-Megrahi is paying for the murder of 253 people and that oil has nothing to do with any of this. Did I say that already? Then it must be doubly so." (Photo: Wickipedia.)