A Libyan man accused of making the bomb used to detonate a Pan Am plane over the Scottish town of Lockerbie 34 years ago is in US custody, Scottish officials said.
Two years ago, the United States filed a criminal complaint against Abu Agila Massoud, claiming he played a key role in the December 21, 1988 bombing.
The explosion of the Boeing 747 killed 270 people of 21 different nationalities. There were no Brazilians among the victims.
All 259 passengers and crew on Pan Am Flight 103, en route from London to New York, were killed. Of the total, 189 were US citizens.
In Lockerbie, all 11 people died when debris from the plane fell on their homes.
The deadliest terrorist incident on British soil and also the worst air disaster in UK history.
attack
Pan Am Flight 103, a defunct airline, was on the route Frankfurt (Germany) – Detroit (United States) with stops in London (United Kingdom) and New York (United States).
On December 21, 1988, at around 7 pm, the aircraft was destroyed by a bomb concealed on board while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
After a three-year investigation by Scottish Police in partnership with the FBI (US Federal Police), arrest warrants have been issued for two Libyan nationals.
In 1999, then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi handed the two men over to Camp Zeist in the Netherlands to stand trial, after lengthy negotiations and UN sanctions.
In 2003, Gaddafi claimed responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the families of the victims, although he claimed he never ordered the attack.
Acceptance of responsibility was part of a set of conditions set out in the UN resolution to lift sanctions against Libya. Libya said one of the citizens – Abdelbaset al-Megrahi – must accept responsibility because of his status as a government official.
On February 23, 2011, in the midst of the Libyan Civil War, former Libyan Minister of Justice (and later member and chairman of the National Transitional Council against Gaddafi) Mustafa Abdul Jalil claimed to have evidence that Gaddafi personally gave the order. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi will plant the bomb on Pan Am Flight 103.
The attack also gave rise to alternative theories involving the involvement of the CIA (US intelligence agency) and Iran.
was he kidnapped?
Last month, there were reports that Massoud had been abducted by a militia group in Libya, leading to speculation that he would be handed over to US authorities for trial.
A US Justice Department spokesman told Reuters news agency Masud will appear before a federal court in Washington.
Five years ago, he was serving a prison sentence in Libya for making bombs.
In 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of involvement in the Pan Am 103 bombing after being tried in a specially convened Scottish court in the Netherlands.
He was the only person convicted of assault.
Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison but was later released by the Scottish government on clemency grounds in 2009 after being diagnosed with cancer.
He died in Libya in 2012.
Always pleading her innocence, Megrahi has appealed her 27-year sentence twice. One of the features failed and the other was abandoned.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Prosecution Financial Service (COPFS), the counterpart to the Brazilian Attorney General’s Office (PGR), said: “The families of those killed in the Lockerbie attack have been informed that the suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas ‘ud Kheir Al-Marimi (“Mas’ud” or “Mesud”) is detained in the USA.
“Scottish prosecutors and police, working with the UK government and their US counterparts, will continue to investigate with the sole aim of bringing those who acted with Al Megrahi to justice.”
Judgment timeline
American and British investigators indicted Megrahi in 1991, but it was not handed over by the Libyans until April 1999.
May 2000 – A private trial under Scottish law begins in the neutral zone at Camp Zeist in Utrecht, Netherlands.
January 31, 2001 – Former Libyan intelligence officer Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 27 years.
March 2002 – Megrahi loses her appeal against her conviction.
September 2003 – The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) is asked to investigate Megrahi’s conviction.
June 2007 – The SCCRC recommends that Megrahi be given a second appeal against her conviction.
August 18, 2009 – Megrahi’s decision to withdraw her second appeal was accepted by the Edinburgh High Court judges.
August 20, 2009 – Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, is released from prison on compassionate grounds.
May 2012 – Megrahi died at the age of 60 at her home in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.
July 2015 – Scottish judges ruled that relatives of Lockerbie victims should not be allowed to appeal on behalf of Megrahi. The court had previously ruled that only the next of kin can make a claim after his death.
July 2017 – Megrahi’s family files a new appeal against her conviction.
March 2020 – The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission said Megrahi’s conviction is subject to further appeal.
November 2020 – Five Scottish judges are considering Megrahi’s third appeal against her conviction for possible error of justice.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.