1 year ago
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Image source, Getty Images
A full of 270 radical died successful the Lockerbie bombing connected 21 December 1988
By David Cowan
Home affairs correspondent, BBC Scotland
A Libyan antheral accused of making the weaponry which destroyed Pan Am formation 103 implicit Lockerbie 34 years agone is successful United States custody, Scottish authorities person said.
The US announced charges against Abu Agila Masud 2 years ago, alleging that helium played a cardinal relation successful the bombing connected 21 December, 1988.
The blast connected committee the Boeing 747 near 270 radical dead.
It is the deadliest violent incidental to person taken spot connected British soil.
All 259 passengers and unit connected committee the jumbo pitchy bound to New York from London died portion different 11 radical were killed successful Lockerbie erstwhile wreckage destroyed their homes.
Last period it was reported that Masud had been kidnapped by a militia radical successful Libya, starring to speculation that helium was going to beryllium handed implicit to the American authorities to basal trial.
In 2001 Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of bombing Pan Am 103 aft lasting proceedings astatine a specially-convened Scottish tribunal successful the Netherlands.
He was the lone antheral to beryllium convicted implicit the attack.
The BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports connected the beingness of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi
Megrahi was jailed for beingness but was released connected compassionate grounds by the Scottish authorities successful 2009 aft being diagnosed with cancer.
He died successful Libya successful 2012.
Megrahi, who ever proclaimed his innocence, launched 2 appeals against his 27-year sentence. One was unsuccessful and the different was abandoned.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: "The families of those killed successful the Lockerbie bombing person been told that the fishy Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi ("Mas'ud" oregon "Masoud") is successful US custody.
"Scottish prosecutors and police, moving with UK authorities and US colleagues, volition proceed to prosecute this investigation, with the sole purpose of bringing those who acted on with Al Megrahi to justice."
Lockerbie bombing timeline
- US and British investigators indicted Megrahi successful 1991 but helium was not handed implicit by the Libyans until April 1999.
- May 2000 - A peculiar proceedings nether Scots instrumentality starts connected neutral crushed astatine Camp Zeist successful the Netherlands.
- 31 January 2001 - Former Libyan quality serviceman Megrahi is recovered blameworthy of wide execution and jailed for beingness with a minimum word of 27 years.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,The Pan Am formation was bombed conscionable days earlier Christmas
- March 2002 - Megrahi loses an entreaty against his conviction.
- September 2003 - The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) is asked to analyse Megrahi's conviction.
- June 2007 - The SCCRC recommends that Megrahi is granted a 2nd entreaty against his conviction.
- 18 August 2009 - Megrahi's determination to driblet his 2nd entreaty is accepted by judges astatine The High Court successful Edinburgh.
- May 2012 - Megrahi dies astatine his location successful Tripoli, aged 60.
- July 2015 - Scottish judges regularisation that relatives of the Lockerbie bombing victims should not beryllium allowed to prosecute an appeal connected Megrahi's behalf. Courts had antecedently ruled that lone adjacent of kin could proceed with a posthumous application.
English (US)