Washington, Aug 21 (DPA) The reception in Libya following the release by Scottish authorities of the man convicted for the Lockerbie bombing was 'outrageous and disgusting', the White House said Friday.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, 57, was greeted by a huge cheering crowd at Ma'atiqa International airport in Tripoli after he was freed, despite warnings from the US against a 'hero's welcome' for the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland.

'The images that we saw in Libya yesterday (Thursday) were outrageous and disgusting. We continue to express our condolences to the families that lost a loved one as a result of this terrorist murder,' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Scotland released al-Megrahi after he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer so he could go home 'to die'. Doctors estimated he had three months to live.

The Obama administration lobbied hard against his release, arguing he is a convicted terrorist who should be required to serve out the life imprisonment sentence handed down following his 2001 trial.