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Lockerbie Bomber 'In And Out Of A Coma'

The family of the Lockerbie bomber has told Sky News that he is slipping in and out of a coma and that his cancer drugs have been stolen.

In an e-mail from Tripoli, the son of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi says his father has moved out of the family home into his mother's house.

It is the first explanation to emerge of Megrahi's movements since he went missing after rebel forces took Tripoli.

Scottish officials have been making urgent attempts to contact him, in accordance with the terms of his release on licence from jail in Scotland two years ago.

Under his release conditions, Megrahi has to check in with East Renfrewshire Council on a regular basis.

His doctors must submit regular medical reports and he must inform council officials of any change of address.

In his e-mail to Sky News, Khaled Elmegarhi writes: "My father general health very bad sometimes his in coma, family trying to help him to eat at least a little food. We move him to hospital and his parents' house. Still confined to his bed, my mother and his sister helping him.

All our house telephones out of order. I personally tried to get in touch with drugs store to get his regular daily use of medicine thieves has stolen most his medicine. PLEASE I BEG YOU GIVE MY FATHER CHANCE TO GOD FACE HIS DESTINY AND OUR GOD THE REMAINING IF HIS LIFE IN PEACE."

While he served his term, his family lived in a house in East Renfrewshire, so it is the council responsible for ensuring he doesn't breach the terms of his release. Contact is typically made via a phone call or video link-up.

The terms of his release, however, do allow for considerable flexibility.

Scottish officials at local and national government level have said they are not concerned by an absence of contact with Megrahi, given the current situation in Libya and difficulty with communications.

The Scottish Government and East Renfrewshire Council issued a joint statement: "Over the course of the weekend, there has been contact through Mr Al Megrahi's family.

"There was no evidence of a breach of his licence conditions, and his medical condition is consistent with someone suffering from terminal prostate cancer.

"Speculation about Al Megrahi in recent days has been unhelpful, unnecessary and indeed ill-informed.

"As has always been said, Al Megrahi is dying of a terminal disease, and matters regarding his medical condition should really be left there."

Megrahi was convicted over the deaths of 270 people after the bombing of a Pan Am flight in December 1988.

He was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.