Lockerbie plane parts taken to US ahead of alleged bombmaker trial
Libyan national Abu Agila Masud, who is alleged to have helped make the bomb, is to go on trial in the US in May 2025
Part of the aircraft involved in the Lockerbie bombing is being transported from Scotland to the US ahead of a major trial in Washington DC next year.
The Libyan man accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 on December 21 1988, Abu Aguila Mas’ud, faces a number of charges when he stands trial in May 2025, including destruction of an aircraft resulting in death.
Families and next of kin have been made aware about the section of the plane being transferred to American authorities, as part of an evidence sharing agreement between Scottish law enforcement authorities and American counterparts.
Only one man has ever been convicted in connection with bombing
To date Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was convicted in 2001 of the murders of 270 people by the introduction of an explosive device onto a civilian aircraft, remains the only man ever convicted in connection with the bombing, but it has always been a widely held belief that he did not act alone.
The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, said:
“The trial court held that this act of state-sponsored terrorism was orchestrated by the Libyan government and that Megrahi was involved with others. That verdict has been subject of intense scrutiny and has been upheld twice in the appeal court.
“The transfer of evidence for the trial in the US is 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.”
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said:
“My thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in 1988 and who continue to show incredible dignity and strength.
Vow to bring those responsible to justice "no matter passage of time"
“Police Scotland remains committed to working with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and our law enforcement colleagues in the United States to support the investigation and bring those responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 to justice, no matter the passage of time.”
Laura Buchan, who is head of a team of prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service working on the case, said:
“Since Mas’ud was taken into custody by the US in 2022, Scottish prosecutors and police have been engaged in a formal evidence sharing process with the US Department of Justice.
“The transfer of physical items of evidence from Scotland into US custody is beginning. The transfer includes parts of the fuselage of Pan Am 103 which are a production in the criminal investigation. We understand that the fuselage will hold significance for many of the families of those who lost their lives and they have been informed of the transfer plans.”
Bombing remains worst terror attack on UK soil
The bombing of Pan Am 103 is the deadliest terrorist attack on UK soil and the largest homicide case Scotland’s prosecutors have ever encountered, both in terms of scale and of complexity.
The Crown case at the Scottish court in the Netherlands in spanned 72 days and evidence from 227 witnesses.
243 passengers, 16 crew members as well as 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed. In total the victims came from 21 different countries.