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Suspect successful 1988 Lockerbie bombing present successful U.S. custody
Washington — Authorities successful Scotland and the U.S. said Sunday that the Libyan antheral suspected of making the bomb that destroyed a rider level implicit Lockerbie, Scotland, successful 1988 is present successful U.S. custody.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the U.S. had taken custody of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud and "he is expected to marque his archetypal quality successful the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia."
Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said successful a statement: "The families of those killed successful the Lockerbie bombing person been told that the fishy Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is successful U.S. custody."
Pan Am formation 103, traveling from London to New York, exploded implicit Lockerbie connected Dec. 21, 1988, sidesplitting each 259 radical aboard the level and different 11 connected the ground. It remains the deadliest panic onslaught connected British soil.
Kara Weipz, president and spokesperson of the radical Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 whose member was killed successful the bombing, said Masud's apprehension was "an astonishing feat for the families, and yet justness for our loved ones who were innocent."
"To person 1 of the radical liable for the execution of our loved ones basal proceedings successful the U.S. is 1 of the astir important things to the families and to each of us," Weipz said. "The magnitude of radical progressive — we kept it connected the forefront of six administrations."
Police look astatine the wreckage of the Pan Am airliner that exploded and crashed implicit Lockerbie, Scotland, connected Dec. 22, 1988.
Roy Letkey/AFP/Getty Images
In 2001, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of bombing the flight. He was the lone idiosyncratic convicted implicit the attack. He mislaid 1 entreaty and abandoned different earlier being freed successful 2009 connected compassionate grounds due to the fact that helium was terminally sick with cancer. He died successful Libya successful 2012, inactive protesting his innocence.
"Scottish prosecutors and police, moving with U.K. authorities and U.S. colleagues, volition proceed to prosecute this investigation, with the sole purpose of bringing those who acted on with al-Megrahi to justice," the Crown Office added.
Masud had antecedently received a 10-year condemnation successful Libya for crafting a weaponry utilized successful a abstracted attack. The U.S. announced charges against him successful 2020 connected the 32nd day of the Lockerbie onslaught and sought his extradition. The transgression ailment was mostly based connected a confession Masud made to Libyan authorities successful 2012, arsenic good arsenic his question records, which allegedly tied him to the crime.
"At agelong last, this antheral liable for sidesplitting Americans and galore others volition beryllium taxable to justness for his crimes," William Barr, the lawyer wide astatine the time, said astatine a quality conference.
In a connection to CBS News, Barr said that helium told the families of the victims "30 years agone that we would bash everything imaginable to bring the perpetrators to justice. During my past weeks successful bureau successful 2020, I pushed this hard — it was unfinished business. We announced charges conscionable earlier I near and started archetypal contacts with Libyans."
"It is captious that terrorists cognize that they volition beryllium tracked down and punished nary substance however agelong it takes," Barr added.
A breakthrough successful the probe came erstwhile U.S. officials successful 2017 received a transcript of an interrogation that Masud, a longtime explosives adept for Libya's quality service, had fixed to Libyan instrumentality enforcement successful 2012 aft being taken into custody pursuing the illness of the authorities of the country's leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi.
In that interview, U.S. officials said, Masud admitted gathering the weaponry successful the Pan Am onslaught and moving with 2 different conspirators to transportation it out. He besides said the cognition was ordered by Libyan quality and that Gadhafi thanked him and different members of the squad aft the attack, according to an FBI affidavit filed successful the case.
While Masud is present the 3rd Libyan quality authoritative charged successful the U.S. successful transportation with the Lockerbie bombing, helium would beryllium the archetypal to basal proceedings successful an American courtroom.
U.S. officials did not accidental however Masud came to beryllium taken into U.S. custody, but successful precocious November, section Libyan media reported that Masud had been kidnapped by equipped men connected Nov. 16 from his residence successful Tripoli, the capital. That reporting cited a household connection that accused Tripoli authorities of being soundless connected the abduction.
In November 2021, Najla Mangoush, the overseas curate for the country's Tripoli-based government, told the BBC successful an interrogation that "we, arsenic a government, are precise unfastened successful presumption of collaboration successful this matter," erstwhile asked whether an extradition was possible.
Torn by civilian warfare since 2011, Libya is divided betwixt rival governments successful the eastbound and west, each backed by planetary patrons and galore equipped militias connected the ground. Militia groups person amassed large wealthiness and powerfulness from kidnappings and their engagement successful Libya's lucrative quality trafficking trade.
Margaret Brennan, Andy Triay, Robert Legare, Catherine Herridge and Clare Hymes contributed reporting.
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