FBI is searching for Lockerbie bombing victims ahead of a US trial
Nearly 36 years after the attack that killed 270 people, the FBI has launched an international search for the victims of the Lockerbie bombing.
The US intelligence service is looking for people who were directly affected by the attack on Pan Am 103 in 1988, including through ’emotional damage’.
The appeal comes ahead of a trial in a US federal court against Abu Agila Masud, who is accused of “destruction of an aircraft resulting in death”.
The aim is to provide victims anywhere in the world with remote access to the court hearing in Washington DC.
In a message to Lockerbie victims, the FBI said Congress has passed legislation to provide victims in this case with remote access to legal proceedings.
The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988 killed 11 people and all passengers and crew on board the plane in the Scottish town of Lockerbie
Victims are defined as those who were at or near the Lockerbie bombing scene when the bombing occurred, or as a close relative or person of similar significance to someone killed or injured in the attack.
All 259 passengers and crew on board the flight from London to New York were killed when the explosive detonated. Another 11 residents of Lockerbie died when debris fell on their homes.
The U.S. announced charges against Libya’s Masud in 2020 on the 32nd anniversary of the bombing, with then-Attorney General William P. Barr saying the operation was ordered by Libyan intelligence leaders. He also alleged that Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s leader from 1969 to 2011, personally thanked Masud for his work.
At the time the charges were unsealed, Mas’ud was in Libyan custody on an unrelated charge. He was taken into U.S. custody in December 2022, and his trial is expected to begin in May of next year.
He is the first person to appear in a US court accused of involvement in the bombing.
Abdelbaset Al Megrahi and co-defendant Al Amin Khalifa Fahima stood trial in a Scottish court in the Netherlands in 2000 and 2001. Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder and sent to Scotland to serve his life sentence. Fahima was acquitted and sent back to Libya.
Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is in custody, is accused of building the bomb that shot down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie 36 years ago
The Scottish government released the terminally ill Megrahi as a compassionate release in 2009, three years before he died of cancer.
Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the bombing, had long believed Megrahi was innocent and doubted Libya’s involvement.
Dr Swire welcomed the decision to define people who witnessed what happened in Lockerbie as victims of the bombing if they suffered harm.
He told the BBC: ‘People affected by a disaster should never be prevented from accessing the consequences of that disaster.
“So I think it’s a good move, and I fully support it.”
In a statement accompanying the FBI’s request, the agency said: “We understand that this announcement may come as a surprise and may raise questions for many affected by this tragedy.
“We apologize for any concern this sudden contact may have caused. Please be assured that we have a team of dedicated people ready to address any concerns you may have about this process.”
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said they continue to support the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI in prosecuting Masud.