Former Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill says he "doesn't know" if he has broken the Official Secrets Act.

In an interview with STV News, MacAskill admitted he is unaware if his recent book contains information the dissemination of which is possibly illegal.

The book references alleged information regarding a classified document which is held by the UK Government.

In his book, MacAskill claims the document implicates the terrorist group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command in the Lockerbie bombing.

The former justice secretary also alleges the UK Government attempted to "close down" a Scottish daily newspaper for an article it published in relation to the atrocity.

MacAskill said: "Well, I don't know. I don't believe so. What I've reported is information that came to my attention.

"I don't know whether that's the document because I was the Scottish justice secretary. I never saw it. What I believe I refer to was never put before me.

"This is something that I believe should be out there. This wasn't put before the Scottish court. Why wasn't it put before the Scottish court?

"It wasn't put before the Scottish justice secretary or the Scottish Government. It may or it may not be relevant but I think people are entitled to know."

The former minister says he knows the document is relevant to the Lockerbie case as he has briefed by "sources".

He said: "Because I got told by several sources, as a journalist you'd report it. I believe that's correct. And equally I took calls in 2011 from the UK Government seeking to close down a Scottish daily newspaper for running that article.

"They were going to going to delete an entire edition. I remember saying to the minister that he was off his head if the Scottish people weren't suddenly going to notice that a major Scottish daily newspaper hadn't been published that day, and ask questions why."

MacAskill's comments come after the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie called for an investigation over his conduct.

Rennie said: "Kenny MacAskill should be investigated by the authorities.His cavalier approach to justice has left many casualties in its wake. He should not be profiting from any breach of the Official Secrets Act."

While justice secretary MacAskill released the sole convicted perpetrator of the Lockerbie terrorist atrocity, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, in 2009 on "compassionate grounds".

The prison authorities judged that Megrahi had a "life expectancy of less than three months" following a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Megrahi died almost three years after his release, in May 2012.

Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, after a bomb was placed on board. The bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in British history with a total of 270 people dying in the incident.

In response to Mr MacAskill's statements, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: "We haven't seen a copy of the unpublished book, so are unable to comment on its contents. We take the protection of material covered by Public Interest Immunity certificates extremely seriously."