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A part of the wreckage from the Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie 35 years ago, is being transported to the United States for the trial of Abu Agila Masud, who is accused of making the bomb. Masud, a Libyan national, denies the allegations. The fuselage section will be used as part of the evidence in the case against him. Scottish and American prosecutors have agreed to this formal evidence sharing process. The families of the 270 victims have been notified about the transfer of the evidence.
The Clipper Maid of the Seas was flying from Heathrow to New York when it disintegrated at an altitude of 31,000 ft in mid-air. All 259 passengers and crew members died, and another 11 people in Lockerbie were killed when the plane crashed into their homes. The disaster claimed the lives of 190 American citizens, making it the worst terror attack against the US until 9/11. The explosion was caused by a bomb that had been placed in a radio cassette player in a suitcase stored in the hold.
Approximately 319 tons of wreckage from the plane was spread over 845 square miles. Air accident investigators reassembled a 65ft long section of the fuselage showing the “petalling” caused by the explosion.
Masud is accused of making the device and is scheduled to face trial in a federal court in Washington next May. The US authorities have also charged him with causing the destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, described the transfer of the fuselage section as “a strong expression of the commitment that Scottish prosecutors and officers of Police Scotland have to bringing all those responsible for this terrible act to justice.”
Jo Farrell, Chief Constable of Police Scotland, has stated that the force will continue to pursue those involved in bombing the plane and ensure they are held accountable, regardless of the passage of time. On two separate occasions, the convictions delivered at the first Lockerbie trial have been upheld in the appeals court, according to the Lord Advocate
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