BBC Scotland’s home affairs correspondent, David Cowan, reports that the trial of a Libyan man accused of constructing the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 has been delayed by a US judge. Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, also known as Masud, was supposed to go on trial in Washington on 12 May, but both the prosecution and defense requested a postponement. The trial’s new starting date has not yet been determined, but discussions are ongoing. Masud has denied any involvement in the bombing that killed 259 passengers and crew on 21 December 1988.
Tragically, an additional 11 individuals perished in Lockerbie when debris from the Boeing 747 crashed into their homes. Masud, a senior citizen in his early 70s with dual Libyan and Tunisian citizenship, is currently undergoing treatment for a non-life-threatening medical condition. US government prosecutors cited the complexity of the case and the necessity for adequate pre-trial preparations in their submissions to the court. They also mentioned the extensive discovery process, including evidence located in other countries, and the defense’s need to establish the best strategy for representing Masud.
Judge Dabney Friedrich, of the US District Court, agreed to postpone the trial’s commencement on 12 May, with a status conference scheduled for the following month at the courthouse. Masud first came under the spotlight as a suspect in 2015 when Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime crumbled, reviving interest in the Lockerbie case. Five years later, former US Attorney General William Barr announced Masud’s indictment for causing an aircraft’s destruction, leading to fatalities. Masud was taken into American custody in 2022 after being forcibly removed from his residence in Tripoli by an armed militant group.
An essential matter that may arise prior to the trial is the admissibility of a purported confession Masud made while imprisoned in Libya in 2012. Allegedly, Masud confessed to being employed by the Libyan intelligence service and took responsibility for constructing the bomb responsible for the tragic downing of Pan Am Flight 103. Masud reportedly identified two Libyan accomplices, both of whom were tried in a Scottish court based in the Netherlands over two decades ago in connection to the Lockerbie bombing. One of the suspects, Abdelbasset Al Megrahi, was found guilty of the murders but was later released on humanitarian grounds by the Scottish government before passing away in Tripoli in 2012
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
