It would be nearly a decade before the Libyan government turned the two over to face trial. U.S. authorities have taken into custody a Libyan man accused of being involved with making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270 people . A Libyan intelligence official accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 in an international act of terrorism has been taken into U.S . This Timeline displays events related to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and was created by the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives at Syracuse University to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the tragedy. Abdel-Jalil stepped down as minister of justice in protest over the violence against anti-government demonstrations. 25 of 35 students were from Syracuse.". . . It was like it was made of butter, and it was dripping.. At Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, a memorial cairn constructed of 270 stonesone for each of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103 who came from 21 different countriesis the sight of an annual service on the anniversary of the disaster, December 21. As we have also said, the absence of an explanation as to how the suitcase was taken into the system at Luqa is a major difficulty for the Crown case, but after taking full account of that difficulty, we remain of the view that the primary suitcase began its journey at Luqa. Al-Megrahi later sent to jail in Glasgow. "Lockerbie pair 'could have survived', This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:49. [163][164] In Sherwood Crescent there is a garden of remembrance to the seven Lockerbie residents killed when the aircraft's main wreckage fell there, destroying their homes.[165]. Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. holds one of its annual meetings during Remembrance Week, and every year FBI and Scottish investigators and prosecutors brief the group on the status of the case. But at Arlington National Cemetery this year, some of their grandchildren will be in attendance. [60] Bollier claimed that in 1991 he had declined an offer of $4million from the FBI (equivalent to $7.2 million in 2021 dollars) in exchange for his support of the main line of inquiry, though this claim has never been verified. The child was the first victim to arrive at what became a makeshift mortuary, but the young constable never discovered who she was, until a chance meeting with the farmer's son finally solved the mystery. Although the students remained silent during the ceremony, many cried and hugged one another as the 35 minutes concluded. What Syracuse has done is truly remarkable, Weipz said. After being released, Megrahi returned to Libya and received a jubilant welcome. (AP photo), George Stobbs was the senior police inspector with the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary when the disaster occurred. As many as 25 homes were destroyed. ", "Libyan Parliament calls for urgent investigation into Masud's extradition to US", "Libya Admits Culpability In Crash of Pan Am Plane", Security Council lifts sanctions imposed on Libya after terrorist bombings of Pan Am 103 and UTA 772, Statement by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Speakes on the Gulf of Sidra Incident, "NBC's Mitchell Regurgitates Gaddafi Lies", "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 N54629 Tnr desert", "The best tribute to the 270 victims of Lockerbie is to find out the truth", "Petition to set up public inquiry into Lockerbie", "Petition to UN General Assembly to open Pan Am 103 inquiry", "Malta asked to support demands for UN inquiry on Lockerbie", "Lockerbie families lobby Gordon Brown for public inquiry", "Lockerbie inquiry ruled out by Gordon Brown", "Khadaffi gav order om Lockerbie-attentatet", "Gaddafi accused of ordering Lockerbie bombing", "Qaddafi's Son Is Alive. DUMFRIES, Scotland (AP) _ Two passengers might have survived the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 had they received the best medical care immediately, a Scottish pathologist testified Wednesday. [citation needed], At 19:02:44, Alan Topp, the clearance delivery officer at Shanwick, transmitted its oceanic route clearance. Written to Lord Fraser of Carmyllie Scotlands senior law officer it copied in PM Margaret Thatcher and raised concerns at families joining together to seek the truth. On 31 January 2001, Megrahi was convicted of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges, and sentenced to life imprisonment, but Fhimah was acquitted. [46], On the day of the bombing, the French Directorate-General for External Security was informed by their British counterpart that the UK suspected the Libyans to be behind the bombing.[47]. One of the newly released documents is a letter from the Foreign Office in 1989. Corrections? Mohammed al-Alagi, justice minister for the new leadership in Tripoli, said "the council would not allow any Libyan to be deported to face trial in another country Abdelbaset al-Megrahi has already been judged once, and will not be judged again. At 75, Richard Granat does not fit the stereotype of a startup entrepreneur. On 2 September 2009, former MEP Michael McGowan demanded that the UK government call for an urgent, independent inquiry led by the UN to find out the truth about Pan Am flight 103. There are memorials in Lockerbie and Moffat Roman Catholic churches, where plaques list the names of all 270 victims. The bomb, constructed with the odourless plastic explosive Semtex, was hidden in a cassette player that was stored in a suitcase. The perpetrators had apparently intended the plane to crash into the sea, destroying any traceable evidence, but its explosion over land left a trail of evidence.[56]. All 270 passengers and crew members on the plane were. On December 21, Pan Am 103 was beginning the second leg of its Frankfurt-London-New York-Detroit route. Hugh mentioned Dads dark hair and asked whether his children had it too. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [82] Maggie Scott also asked for documents relating to an alleged payment of $2million made to Maltese merchant, Tony Gauci, for his testimony at the trial, which led to the conviction of Megrahi. [128][129], On 29 September 1989, President Bush appointed Ann McLaughlin Korologos, former Secretary of Labor, to chair the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST) to review and report on aviation security policy in the light of the sabotage of flight PA103. [146] Several of the victims families refused to accept compensation due to their belief that Libya was not responsible. The emotional impact of handling all those personal itemsa 2-year-olds dress, wrapped Christmas presents, a pilots uniformis an experience that has stayed with them. Over the years we have effected a lot of change for security, he said. The Libyan government claimed the air strikes killed Hana Gaddafi, a daughter Gaddafi claimed he adopted (her reported age has varied between 15 months and seven years). The plane, which operated the flight's transatlantic leg, pushed back from the terminal at 18:04 and took off from runway 27R at 18:25, bound for New York JFK Airport and then Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The grounds of the appeal rested on two areas of evidence where the defence claimed the original court was mistaken: the evidence of Maltese shopkeeper, Tony Gauci, which the judges accepted as sufficient to prove that the "primary suitcase" started its journey in Malta; and, disputing the prosecution's case, fresh evidence would be adduced to show that the bomb's journey actually started at Heathrow. Omissions? The protests were part of a massive wave of unprecedented uprisings across the Arab world in: Tunisia, Morocco, Bahrain and Egypt, where Egyptian protesters effectively forced the removal of long-term ruler, Hosni Mubarak, from office. On the ground, 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed when the planes burning wings plunged into a quiet neighborhood just after dinner. [34] A group of US intelligence specialists was on board the flight. Anything recovered was meticulously cataloged. [115] Two online petitions were started: one calling for a UK public inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing;[116] the other a UN inquiry into the murder of UN Commissioner for Namibia, Bernt Carlsson, in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. That evidence, which was not heard at the trial, showed that at some time in the two hours before 00:35 on 21 December 1988, a padlock had been forced on a secure door giving access air side in Terminal 3 of Heathrow airport, near to the area referred to at the trial as the "baggage build-up area". In 2003, Gaddafi accepted Libya's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the families of the victims, although he maintained that he had never given the order for the attack. The lecture, "It was known as the place where nothing ever happens. Laurie, 49, says: Mum called Hugh and Margaret. [39], Many of the passengers' relatives, most of them from the US, arrived there within days to identify the dead. 2023 Cable News Network. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. [22] The rear fuselage, parts of the baggage hold, and three landing gear units landed at Rosebank Crescent. Clipper Maid of the Seas approached the corner of the Solway Firth at 19:01, and crossed the coast at 19:02 UTC. The work consists of 43 nude statues of the wives and mothers who lost a husband or a child. I am one of the signatories. [148], On 5 December 2003, Jim Kreindler revealed that his Park Avenue law firm would receive an initial contingency fee of around US$1million from each of the 128 American families Kreindler represents. Some relatives of the dead, including Lockerbie campaigner Jim Swire, believe the bomb was planted at Heathrow Airport, and not sent via feeder flights from Malta, as per the US and UK governments. Investigators believed then, as they do today, that more co-conspirators were involved in the plot. Covers the bombing of the Boeing 747 Pan American Airways flight 103 at Lockerbie, Scotland at 1903 hours on December 21, 1988 that killed 259 passengers and crew and 11 Lockerbie residents. The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 December 21, 1988 sent a shock wave around the world. The apparent break in the case came after Masud was arrested by Libyan authorities on another case. The lifeless bodies of Pan Am Flight 103's crew and more than a dozen first class passengers lay almost intact amid the devastation of the downed plane. A bomb aboard the plane detonated over the Scottish town of Lockerbie . Fhimah was found not guilty. [83], On 15 October 2008, five Scottish judges decided unanimously to reject a submission by the Crown Office, which sought to limit the scope of Megrahi's second appeal to the specific grounds of appeal that were identified by the SCCRC in June 2007. The agreement covers 26 lawsuits filed by American citizens against Libya, and three by Libyan citizens in respect of the US bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in April 1986 which killed at least 40 people and injured 220. The victim assistance plan Turman and her team established for the trial would greatly inform the U.S. governments future policy toward victims of terrorism and other federal crimes. And He Wants to Take Libya Back", "African Manipulations: Tainted Evidence of Libyan Terrorism", "Oliver "Buck" Revell speaks for International Speakers Bureau", "Libya offers $2.7billion Pan Am 103 settlement", "Security Council lifts sanctions imposed on Libya after terrorist bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772", "Lockerbie lawyer says 200m fee is 'good value', Saif al-Gaddafi says "Libyans are innocent" of the Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772 bombings, "Gaddafi's son attacks "greedy" Lockerbie relatives in BBC Two documentary", "Khadafy ordered Lockerbie bombing, says Libyan minister", "The Influence Game: Lobbyists who aided families of Pan Am bombing victims earn $2million fee", The night fire and victims rained on Lockerbie, "Cornell professorship funded by $3.8 million Libyan payment for student killed in Lockerbie bombing", "The Women of Lockerbie Deborah Brevoort", "Google Streetview Sherwood Crescent Memorial", "Lockerbie disaster Pan am flight 103 remains lie forgotten in a Lincolnshire scrapyard", "Authentic Pan Am 103 cockpit wreck photo", "Lockerbie wreckage parts returned to Scotland", The Scottish indictment against Megrahi and Fhimah, The U.S. indictment against Megrahi and Fhimah, "No:2/9 Boeing 747-121, N739PA, at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland", Graphic of how the aircraft was destroyed, United Nations Security Council Resolution 731 (1992), United Nations Security Council Resolution 748 (1992), United Nations Security Council Resolution 883 (1993), "Lessons from Lockerbie, ten years later", "Lockerbie, 10 years on: Reporter's reflections", "Libya offers $2.7billion Lockerbie settlement", "Scottish Court in the Netherlands 20002002", Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives, Aircraft Accident Report 2/1990 Report on the accident to Boeing 747-121, N739PA, at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland on 21 December 1988, 2/1990 Aircraft Accident Report 2/1990, Appendices AG, Defense Intelligence Agency Redacted Pan Am Report, "It Happened in Lockerbie 20 August 09 Part 1", International observer mission of the president of the International Progress Organization, Dr. Hans Koechler, at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands ("Lockerbie Court"), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pan_Am_Flight_103&oldid=1141600700, A male caller claimed that a group called the "Guardians of the Islamic Revolution" had destroyed the plane in retaliation for. [139] Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro on 7 December 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said that the seven Libyans convicted for the Pan Am Flight 103 and the UTA Flight 772 bombings "are innocent". 2:54 PM EST, Mon December 12, 2022. I left my office that night, he said, and I didn't get back there for three years., From the outset, the Scottish police treated the disaster as a crime scene and preserved everything that might be evidence. [44], On 13 December, the warning was posted on bulletin boards in the US Embassy in Moscow and eventually distributed to the entire American community there, including journalists and businessmen. There were a lot of things we looked at with Pan Am 103 that formed the basis for where we went with the Victim Assistance Program in the Bureau., The Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. group was formed in 1989, shortly after the bombing. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Ive never seen a law enforcement agency other than the Scottish police who did anything like this, Turman said. He argued that the verdict was not one that a reasonable jury in an ordinary trial could have reached if it were given proper directions by the judge. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. During what Boyd calls Phase 1 of the investigation--the search for bodies--victims were discovered over a 10-mile radius around Lockerbie. Suddenly there was a tremendous crash outside, and the neighborhood was ablaze. [99][100], According to The New York Times, Mas'ud was born in Tunisia in 1951, before he became a citizen of Libya as a child after he moved to Tripoli, Libya. On Dec. 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, en route from London's Heathrow Airport to New York, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 people on the ground. We didnt disclose a great deal of material to victims for fear that it would somehow damage the investigation., The magnitude of this case required new thinking. Suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is in custody at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, is seen in this December photograph. The rear fuselage and landing gear crashed into the Rosebank Crescent neighborhood in the center of town. Probably the biggest regret I have is that we did not get everybody, Marquise said recently. When you consider that some of the most critical exhibits, or productions, of the case were found 80 miles from Lockerbie, Cossar said, it shows you the scale of the search., A crime scene for me was normally a house or a room or a field with a person lying in it, said Bell, whose sector included the hard-hit Rosebank neighborhood. "[citation needed], "Flight 103" redirects here. [154], Syracuse University holds a memorial week every year called "Remembrance Week" to commemorate its 35 lost students. The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 may have taken place more than 30 years ago, but the appearance of alleged bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi in a US court on Monday has sparked a new wave of interest in the attack. It offered us so much comfort to know that he had been looked after.. We wanted to do justice by these families.. June Wilson died last year. As a result, the United States and the United Nations Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Libya. At 18, Colin Dorrance was the youngest police officer on duty that night and has never forgotten the child who was brought to him by the farmer. Demands for such an inquiry emerged later, and became more insistent. The transatlantic leg of the route was operated by Clipper Maid of the Seas, a Boeing 747-121 registered N739PA. To me it will be a signal of how serious the rebel government is for good relations with the United States and the West if they hand over Megrahi for trial. [50] Jalil claimed to possess "documents that prove [his allegations] and [that he is] ready to hand them over to the international criminal court. The amount of property on shelving and racks really brought home to me the scale of the numbers of people involved, said Graeme Galloway, a police officer who joined the force when he was 21 years old, a few months before the Lockerbie disaster. The American peopleand our adversariesneed to know that we dont give up.. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [123][124], In a July 2021 interview, Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam said that his father "had stopped riding his horse after the humiliation of the American bombing of Tripoli in 1986 and resumed riding it after the Lockerbie bombing."[125]. "[131] The statement first came to public attention in the 1994 documentary film The Maltese Double Cross Lockerbie and was published in both The Guardian of 12 November 1994, and a special report from Private Eye magazine entitled Lockerbie, the flight from justice May/June 2001. In 1991, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was the assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice, and he was in charge of the Lockerbie investigation. Pan Am Flight 103 - a regularly scheduled transatlantic flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Detroit, USA - exploded from a terrorist bomb at 30,000 feet in the air. The suitcase was then routed to a feeder flight in Frankfurt bound for Londons Heathrow Airport, where it was ultimately loaded onto the doomed jet. The only basis for an appeal under Scots law is that a "miscarriage of justice" had occurred, which is not defined in statute, so the appeal court must determine the meaning of these words in each case. I look forward to hearing your comments both to our group's letter and to the contents of this one. [122], On 23 February 2011, amidst the Libyan Civil War, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, former Libyan Justice Minister (and later member and Chairman of the anti-Gaddafi National Transitional Council), alleged that he had evidence that Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, had personally ordered Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to bomb Pan Am Flight 103. The first thing was to really try to understand what the families wanted and expected, she explained. Looking back and acting forward, thats our motto, said Katie Berrell, a Remembrance Scholar who represents her uncle. Lockerbie bombing victims with the remaining 20% of the sum agreed in 2003; News.bbc.co.uk. A lot of the people that we believe were involved in this are deceased, but there are others we know are alive. Still, he added, the FBI has a very long memory.. When the fuel-laden wings and a section of the main body . On the ground in Lockerbie, it was early evening. Documania. August 2009: Cancer victim al-Megrahi freed on compassionate grounds. "Later US intelligence officials confirmed that members of the group had been monitoring Pan Am's facilities at Frankfurt airport. [119] An op-ed article by Pamela Dix, subtitled "The families of those killed in the bombing have not given up hope of an inquiry to help us learn the lessons of this tragedy", was published in The Guardian on 26 October 2009. I actually saw a wrought iron gate melting. The US Defense Intelligence Agency alleges that Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur (Ayatollah Mohtashemi), a member of the Iranian government, paid US$10million for the bombing: Ayatollah Mohtashemi: () and was the one who paid the same amount to bomb Pan Am Flight 103 in retaliation for the 310.[127]. Speaking after he arrived at Edinburgh Castle, Colin said: "I was thinking about Bryony today. Bryony Owen and her mum Yvonne both died in the bombing, Colin Dorrance pictured now and during his earlier days in the force. [37] The other Lockerbie residents who died were two widows aged 82 and 81, who also both lived in Sherwood Crescent; they were the two oldest victims of the disaster. Frank Granito of Speiser Krause noted that "the rewards in the US are more substantial than anywhere else in the world but nobody has questioned the fee whilst the work has been going on, it is only now as we approach a resolution when the criticism comes your way. [107] The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was accused of retaliating for these sinkings by ordering the April 1986 bombing of La Belle, a West Berlin nightclub frequented by US military personnel, killing three people and injuring 230. [97], In 2020, US authorities indicted Libyan national, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, for participating in the bombing. Lockerbie farmer Kate Anderson has told the Mirror how 98 bodies rained down on her land. Laurie says: Wed talked about the trip for a long time but mum has suffered some health problems so we wanted to wait until she was well. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Lockerbie bombing suspect in US custody. They were laid to rest in a single coffin in the West Wales village of Pendine, Carmarthenshire. [20]:44 Due to the extreme flutter, the vertical stabilizer disintegrated, which in turn produced large yawing movements. We have had contact with a lot of different people in the FBI over the years, said the groups president, Kara Weipz, and they have become almost like family members. [166] The remains include the nose section of the Boeing 747, which was cut into several pieces to assist in removal from Tundergarth Hill. 2 commission seat . We had to have another look at ourselves and decide we are not simply dealing with people from Scotland, from the United Kingdom, McCulloch said. A stained glass window in Lockerbies Town Hall represents the 270 victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and the 21 countries they came from. [20] The property was completely destroyed and its two occupants were killed. It was held at a former U.S. Air Force base in the Netherlands called Camp Zeist, which was converted into a Scottish court as well as a detention facility for the two defendants. Libya said it had to accept responsibility due to Megrahi's status as a government employee.[4]. The other man, Lamin Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted. 270 people were killed in the air and on the ground when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie in 1988 (Image: Daily Record) Two police officers at nose cone of aeroplane that crashed in Lockerbie People were turning up for duty that had just finished a 10-hour shift but were prepared to come back out and work again right through the night., Harry Bell was a 42-year-old detective stationed near Glasgow, more than an hour away from Lockerbie. He was the youngest officer on duty at Lockerbie, Pan Am 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, killing all 259 passengers and crew on board. It is, as we have said, clear that with one exception, the clothing in the primary suitcase was the clothing purchased in Mr Gauci's shop on 7 December 1988.
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