TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) - Although his release outraged family members of those who died on Pan Am Flight 103, the only man convicted in that bombing has been warmly greeted back home in Libya.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi flew home after his release today from a prison in Scotland, where he had served eight years for his role in the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, more than two decades ago. He's been released now because he's terminally ill with prostate cancer, and appears to have just months to live.

Thousands of young people were on hand at the airport in Tripoli to greet him. He left the plane accompanied by the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, and they sped off in a convoy of vehicles.

In Libya, al-Megrahi is seen as an innocent scapegoat, used by the West to turn Libya into a pariah. There was a festive atmosphere for his return, with some people wearing T-shirts with his picture on it.

In Washington, President Barack Obama earlier said the decision to free al-Megrahi was a mistake, and that he should be put under house arrest. He warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The only man convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing is still insisting he is innocent.

Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi issued a statement after he was released from a Scottish prison today for health reasons.

He says he wants the world to know he was imprisoned for something he did not do. And he offers his "sincere sympathy" to relatives of the victims for what he calls "the unimaginable loss that they have suffered."

The former Libyan intelligence officer was convicted in 2001 of taking part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Scotland. All 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground were killed.

He had served eight years of his life sentence when he was sent home to Libya after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.

Scotland's decision to release him is being criticized by U.S. officials and relatives of the victims.

President Barack Obama said the decision to free terminally ill Abdel Baset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a mistake and warned Libya not to give him a hero's welcome.

But thousands were on hand to greet him warmly when al-Megrahi's plane touched down at a military airport in Tripoli. There was a festive atmosphere with some wearing t-shirts with al-Megrahi's picture. Others waved Libyan and Scottish flags while Libyan songs blared.

Many in Libya see al-Megrahi as an innocent scapegoat of the West.