All 259 passengers and crew aboard the Pan Am flight 103 died in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. AP File Photo
A Libyan man accused of making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie is now in US custody, American and Scottish authorities confirmed Sunday (11 December).
The US had charged the suspect, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, two years ago, for his alleged involvement in the blast that claimed 270 lives.
“The United States has taken custody of alleged Pan Am flight 103 bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi,” a Department of Justice spokesperson said in a statement, as per NPR.
The families of the victims have been alerted about the development, a UK official told CNN.
“The families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been told that the suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (“Mas’ud” or “Masoud”) is in US custody”, a Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.
“Scottish prosecutors and police, working with UK government and US colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with Al Megrahi to justice”, the spokesperson added.
How did the Lockerbie bombing happen 34 years ago? Who were the suspects and how has the case unfolded? Let’s take a look.
1988 Lockerbie bombing
On 21 December 1988, a bomb exploded mid-air when the New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 was crossing the Dumfries and Galloway town of Lockerbie.
All 259 passengers died when the bomb inside a suitcase blasted 38 minutes after the jet left London’s Heathrow airport.
Another 11 people were killed in Lockerbie after the plane crashed and destroyed houses in Sherwood Crescent, as per The Scotsman.
The blast killed citizens of 21 countries, including 190 Americans and 43 Brits.
The Lockerbie blast is the deadliest terror attack in UK’s history. AP File Photo
Out of the Americans who lost their lives were 35 students from New York’s Syracuse University who were returning to the US after a semester in London.
This was the deadliest terror attack in the United Kingdom’s history.
The suspects
As per Associated Press (AP), the US charged two Libyan intelligence officers in 1991 for planting the bomb.
The officers – Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifah Fhimah – were accused of placing the explosive in a portable cassette and radio player kept inside a suitcase, as per CNN.
In 2001, Megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment by a panel of Scottish judges sitting in the Netherlands. He was convicted of planning the terrorist attack.
Megrahi, who always maintained his innocence, was released in 2009 on humanitarian grounds after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Several families of the bombing victims had criticised the move to release Megrahi at the time.
He died in Libya in 2012.
Fhimah was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges.
ALSO READ: Pan Am 103 bombing: Libya to allow investigators to question two new suspects
Masud’s role
As per BBC report, it was reported last month that Masud had been kidnapped by a militia group in Libya, stoking speculations of him being handed over to the US authorities to face trial.
Masud was jailed in Libya for bomb-making five years ago, reported BBC.
The report further said that Masud allegedly confessed to being a part of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing with Megrahi.
Three Libyans have been accused of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing. AP File Photo
In the winter of 1988, Masud had allegedly travelled to Malta with a suitcase that was used to carry out the attack after being summoned by Libyan authorities, NPR reported citing federal officials.
According to the US justice department, Masud was asked to make the timer so that the bomb inside the suitcase would detonate 11 hours later.
The next day, he allegedly gave the suitcase to Fhimah, who then placed it onto a conveyor belt, NPR reported.
In 2017, US officials procured a copy of Masud’s interview conducted by Libyan authorities after his arrest, reported AP.
Masud allegedly said the operation was “ordered” by Libyan intelligence and the country’s then leader Muammar Gaddafi had “thanked” him and others after the attack, AP reported citing a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) affidavit.
In 2020, the US justice department charged Masud with terrorism-related crimes.
Masud’s custody in the US means a trial can now happen over the bombing under American law, says BBC.
As per NPR, he will be presented before the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
A victim’s family reacts
Kara Weipz, whose brother, Richard Monetti, died in the Lockerbie bombing, said she is “especially encouraged” that the suspect is in US custody.
“This means so much to the families, so much to my family, so much to me to know that justice for my brother, for the 269 other victims is going to be served in our country under our laws,” Weipz, who is also the president of the group Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, told NPR.
With inputs from agencies
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