Suspect in 1988 Pan Am 103 explosion that killed 270 people taken into custody by US - ABC News

Nearly 34 years aft 270 people, including 190 Americans, died successful the mid-air bombing of Pan Am 103 implicit Lockerbie, Scotland, the Libyan quality serviceman accused of gathering the explosive instrumentality has been taken into custody by the United States to look justice, national officials told ABC News.

Abu Agila Mas'ud volition look transgression charges successful the United States for his suspected relation successful the deadliest panic onslaught connected British ungraded and among the largest involving Americans, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Justice.

The United States has charged Mas’ud with gathering the instrumentality utilized to stroke up the Boeing 747 astir 38 minutes aft it took disconnected from London's Heathrow Airport en way to John F. Kennedy International Airport successful New York. The formation primitively started successful Frankfurt, Germany, and was scheduled to extremity successful Detroit aft it stopped successful New York.

Among those killed were 35 Syracuse University students returning location for the holidays aft a semester studying abroad.

The aboriginal greeting country successful Lockerbie aft Flight Pan Am 103 crashed into the town, Dec., 22, 1988.

Tom Stoddart Archive/Getty Images, FILE

"The United States has taken custody of alleged Pan Am Flight 103 weaponry shaper Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi," the DOJ said successful a statement.

It was not instantly wide erstwhile Mas'ud volition look successful court. He is expected to marque his archetypal quality successful the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to the DOJ.

"The families of those killed successful the Lockerbie bombing person been told that the fishy Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi is successful U.S. custody,” a spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s nationalist prosecution service, said successful a connection to ABC News.

"Scottish prosecutors and police, moving with UK Government and US colleagues, volition proceed to prosecute this investigation, with the sole purpose of bringing those who acted on with Al Megrahi to justice," the connection said, referring to a Libyan quality operative convicted successful 2001 for his relation successful the Pan Am bombing.

'It is unbelievable'

Stephanie Bernstein, whose husband, Michael, was among those killed successful the bombing, said she learned Mas'ud was successful U.S. custody successful a telephone telephone from national authorities earlier dawn Sunday.

"It is unbelievable. When I archetypal learned astir it, I thought I was dreaming,” Bernstein told ABC News. "This would not person happened without the apical levels of the authorities and their committedness to bringing this idiosyncratic to justice."

Before his death, Michael Bernstein worked for the Justice Department tracking down erstwhile members of the Nazi regime.

"He believed that holding radical accountable was of paramount importance," Bernstein said.

She and different loved ones of immoderate those killed said they had doubted that Mas'ud would ever beryllium brought to justness fixed the complexities of Libya and its deficiency of an extradition pact with the United States.

"It wasn't wide that ever, ever we could get him. He confessed to the bombing, but to a Libyan authority," Bernstein said, adding she plans to beryllium successful tribunal erstwhile Mas'ud makes his archetypal tribunal appearance.

The announcement comes 2 years aft Mas'ud, who has been successful custody successful Libya for respective years, was indicted connected 2 national transgression counts related to the bombing.

Suitcase bomb

Mas'ud is charged successful national tribunal with demolition of an craft resulting successful death, and demolition of a conveyance by means of an explosive resulting successful death.

A criminal affidavit filed successful the case, alleges Mas'ud worked for the External Security Organization, Libya's quality service, mostly arsenic a method adept successful gathering explosive devices from 1973 to 2011.

Floral tributes near astatine the Memorial Garden successful Dryfesdale Cemetery, are seen connected the greeting of the 30th day of the bombing of Pan Am formation 103 which exploded implicit the Scottish municipality connected December 21, 1988, sidesplitting 259 passengers and unit and 11 residents connected the ground, successful Lockerbie, Scotland, Britain, Dec. 21, 2018.

Pool/Reuters, FILE

In summation to the Pan Am 103 bombing, Mas'ud allegedly participated successful different plots against the United States and the West, including the April 5, 1986, bombing of the LaBelle Discotheque successful West Berlin, Germany, successful which 2 U.S. work members were killed and 229 people, including 79 Americans, were injured

Under instructions from 2 alleged Libyan quality operatives, including Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi, Mas'ud allegedly built the Pan Am 103 weaponry successful the wintertime of 1988 successful a edifice country connected the land of Malta, hiding the instrumentality successful a medium-size Samsonite suitcase and mounting a timer to spell disconnected 11 hours aboriginal connected Dec. 21, according to the transgression affidavit.

Mas'ud allegedly gave the suitcase to Megrahi and the different Libyan operative, who some worked astatine the Malta airport, according to the affidavit. One of the operatives placed the suitcase connected an airdrome conveyor loop and it was smuggled onto a formation bound for Frankfurt, wherever it was transferred to Pan Am Flight 103 arsenic a portion of unattended luggage, according to the affidavit.

Part of the main memorial chromatic to the victims of the Pan Am formation 103 bombing successful the plot of remembrance astatine Dryfesdale Cemetery, adjacent Lockerbie, Scotland, Dec. 20, 2008.

Scott Heppell/AP, FILE

The weaponry detonated arsenic Flight 103 was astatine an altitude of 31,000 feet supra Lockerbie, Scotland. The detonation ripped the craft into countless pieces that scattered crossed 840 quadrate miles, astir the full width of Scotland. Eleven residents of Lockerbie were killed by falling wreckage, according to the affidavit.

In 2001, Megrahi was convicted of his relation successful the bombing by 3 Scottish judges sitting successful a peculiar tribunal successful the Netherlands. He was released successful 2009 due to the fact that helium had crab and died successful Libya successful 2012.

Megrahi co-defendant, Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, was acquitted of the charges stemming from the bombing.

'This is arsenic it should be'

Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced the charges against Mas'ud successful his last week astatine the Justice Department. In his 2020 quality conference, Barr noted that the breakthrough that led to the caller charges against Mas'ud arose erstwhile instrumentality enforcement learned successful 2016 helium had been arrested aft the illness of the authorities of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi and interviewed by a Libyan instrumentality enforcement serviceman successful September 2012.

Mas'ud allegedly told the serviceman that the bombing crippled had been ordered by the then-leadership of Libyan quality and that Gadhafi personally thanked him for the palmy onslaught connected the United States.

Kathryn Turman, the retired adjunct manager of the FBI's Victim Services Division, worked intimately for years with the families of those killed successful the Lockerbie bombing.

She told ABC News connected Sunday that portion she hasn't had a accidental to talk with the victims' relatives, "I ideate galore of them are pleased and relieved to spot different measurement towards accountability adjacent aft each these years."

"It is grounds that portion the satellite whitethorn person moved on, the U.S. and Scottish justness systems did not hide astir the murders of their loved ones and person not stopped their efforts implicit the years," Turman said. "That is arsenic it should be."