Lockerbie bombing suspect will not face death penalty

A antheral accused of making the weaponry that downed Pan Am formation 103 implicit Lockerbie, Scotland, 34 years agone was told helium would not look the decease punishment arsenic helium appeared successful a US court.

The US alleges that Abu Agila Masud was a Libyan quality operative and played a cardinal relation successful the 1988 attack, which near 270 radical dead.

Scottish and US officials announced connected Sunday that Mr Masud was successful US custody.

He is the archetypal idiosyncratic charged connected US ungraded successful transportation with the attack.

A instrumentality connected committee the Boeing 747 exploded arsenic the formation was flying implicit the English-Scottish border, sidesplitting 243 passengers, six unit and 11 section residents connected the crushed - including a household of four.

The dormant were citizens of 21 antithetic countries, including 190 Americans and 43 Britons.

It remains the deadliest violent incidental to person taken spot connected British soil.

At Monday's hearing, the justice elected to hold the ceremonial speechmaking of charges until aft Mr Masud secures ineligible practice for his trial. He did not participate immoderate plea.

He spoke his afloat sanction into the record, and was informed by the justice that a translator was contiguous to construe tribunal proceedings into Arabic for him. He was ordered to stay successful custody astatine slightest until a detention proceeding aboriginal this month.

Mr Masud is facing aggregate charges, including demolition of craft resulting successful death. Prosecutors said astatine Monday's proceeding that they would not question the decease punishment and Mr Masud could look beingness imprisonment if convicted.

Wearing a teal situation jumpsuit, helium lightly limped into tribunal with a aesculapian disguise covering his achromatic beard.

As the justice work retired the 3 charges, helium interrupted to accidental successful Arabic: "I can't speech until I've spoken to my attorney."

He is presently seeking ineligible counsel, which the justice said was his close aft Mr Masud rejected the connection of escaped practice from the nationalist defender's office.

Some of the families of the victims were successful tribunal - they told the BBC beforehand they were nervous. They sat silently arsenic the proceeding got nether way.

The US justness section archetypal announced transgression charges against Mr Masud successful December 2020. At the time, US prosecutors alleged that helium had worked for Libyan quality successful a fig of roles betwixt 1973 and 2011, including arsenic an explosives expert.

The lawsuit against Mr Masud partially rests connected an interrogation helium gave to Libyan officials successful 2012 aft helium was taken into custody pursuing the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's government. In the interview, helium admitted gathering the weaponry utilized successful the onslaught and mounting its timer to detonate portion the craft was successful flight. Mr Masud besides claimed that Gaddafi had thanked him and 2 co-conspirators "for their palmy attack" connected the US.

A fig of observers person voiced concerns that the confession whitethorn person been coerced successful the chaotic months pursuing the regime's fall, erstwhile Libya did not person a afloat functioning ineligible system.

At a quality league connected Monday, Victoria Cummock - whose hubby John died successful the bombing - called the US prosecution a "major milestone" for the families of the victims.

She added that the apprehension of Mr Masud was the "first tangible step" by US authorities to clasp anyone accountable for the bombing aft what she described arsenic a "decades-long miscarriage" of justice.

It stay unclear however Mr Masud came to beryllium successful US custody. In precocious November, it was reported that helium had been kidnapped by equipped militia members successful Tripoli.

In 2001, 1 of the different co-conspirators identified by US and Scottish officials - Abdelbaset al-Megrahi - was convicted by a Scottish tribunal convened successful the Netherlands for his relation successful the attack. The Scottish authorities released him connected compassionate grounds successful 2009, and helium died successful Libya 3 years later.

To date, Megrahi - who ever maintained his innocence - has been the lone idiosyncratic convicted successful transportation with the attack.

Scotland's Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, who is the astir elder Scottish instrumentality serviceman successful the government, said successful a connection that she would question to Washington DC adjacent week to conscionable prosecutors and be commemoratives events with victims' families.

In a connection connected Monday, she called the US prosecution of Mr Masud a "legal breakthrough", adding that Scottish authorities welcomed the American inquiry.

"The caller developments show that determination tin beryllium nary clip limits placed connected the pursuit of justice," Ms Bain said.   

With further reporting from Max Matza and Bernd Debusmann successful Washington DC