PRISONERS in Barlinnie have vowed to kill the Lockerbie bomber for a £5 phonecard.

Convicts want revenge for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi's crime, and are furious at the cushy lifestyle he will enjoy in the Glasgow jail.

Warders are planning to buy the Libyan's food from restaurants because of fears his meals could be poisoned.

Prisoners insist Megrahi will have nowhere to hide in Barlinnie.

They howled with hatred early yesterday when they heard the helicopter carrying him from Camp Zeist in Holland.

Megrahi will serve at least 20 years for Scotland's worst mass murder, the slaughter of 270 people in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

He will be kept apart from other prisoners in a specially-built unit, dubbed the Gaddafi Cafe after Libya's dictator.

Officers will watch Megrahi round the clock. But a prison insider said there is a limit to what staff can do to protect him.

Our source added: "He will be under threat continually. Prisoners are saying they would be happy to bump him off for a £5 phone card.

"Some guys in the past have wanted to kill a high-profile inmate for the notoriety, and they don't come much more high-profile than Megrahi.

"But there is also a lot of anger over what he did. The first chance anybody gets, they will be at him."

Many inmates are raging at the privileges Megrahi has been allowed. While other cons have to slop out, the bomber has his own toilet and shower.

Most Barlinnie prisoners must share crowded cells, but Megrahi, 49, has an extra-large room of his own.

There was more anger among inmates yesterday when a TV contractor arrived to plan the installation of a satellite dish so the killer can watch Arabic TV.

The Record's insider said: "Conditions at Barlinnie are diabolical.

"The cells stink - you can smell urine as soon as you walk into any of the halls.

"Yet Megrahi has a shower and toilet, and the inmates have to watch him get special treatment."

Hatred of Megrahi is running so high that staff fear they cannot trust cons to prepare his halal meals.

Our source revealed: "Special Branch are vetting restaurants in Glasgow to find out which would be most appropriate to supply the food for Megrahi.

"The restaurants haven't been told who they will be cooking for.

"Asian prisoners in Barlinnie have their food prepared in the kitchens, but there is a feeling that nobody could be trusted to cook for Megrahi.

"There is such bad feeling that it is likely his food would be interfered with."

Megrahi was flown to Barlinnie hours after losing his appeal at Camp Zeist against his murder conviction.

The helicopter carrying him landed inside the jail at about 1.15am yesterday.

One insider said: "You could hear shouts and jibes throughout the halls as it hovered overhead."

Officials would not comment on claims that armed police guarding Megrahi on the flight were from Dumfries and Galloway - the force which began the hunt for the Lockerbie bomber.

Dozens of Strathclyde officers scoured the jail's grounds with sniffer dogs as the killer arrived. The nearby M8 was closed in both directions.

Megrahi was welcomed by Barlinnie governor Bill McKinlay and top officials from the Scottish Prison Service.

He was seen by a doctor, then taken to his cell in the former Special Unit.

The source said: "He looked very tired. He was allowed a lie in this morning and given two letters when he got up."

Megrahi will be kept in solitary in the early years of his sentence, guarded by a governor and up to four officers.

The doors of his unit have two locks, in case inmates manage to get hold of one set of keys during a riot.

But protecting Megrahi from other cons is not the only problem. Our source said: "The authorities are worried sick that Megrahi will kill himself.

"The eyes of the world are on us, and God help any of the team in the special unit if anything happens to him.

"Staff also fear that Asian prisoners will be attacked because of Megrahi.

"Since September 11, there has been anger towards the Asians from some of the mindless people in here. Now there is concern that an Asian might get a kicking because someone can't get at Megrahi."

Asked if the bomber would be safe in Barlinnie, the Scottish Prison Service said: "Risk assessments are carried out on a regular basis. Every step will be taken to ensure the security of all prisoners.

"The extent to which he will be kept separate from other prisoners will be determined by ongoing assessment."

The SPS insisted Megrahi would get no special treatment, "except where required for security reasons".