The 1988 Pan-Am flight 103 bombing over Scotland: Abu Ghalila Mas’ud is charged with the murders of 270 people
The US has arrested a man suspected of building the bomb that destroyed a passenger plane over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people.
The Department of Justice confirmed to NPR that the United States had taken custody of the alleged Pan Am flight 103 bombmaker Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi.
Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service confirmed that the families of those killed in the bombing have also been notified of the arrest.
“Scottish prosecutors and police, working with UK Government and US colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with Al Megrahi to justice,” the office said in a statement.
Dec. 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 explodes 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. A New York-bound aircraft with 259 people on board is killed while on the ground.
21 passengers from 21 different countries were killed in the attack, according to federal officials. Most of the 190 Americans who perished were students from Syracuse University in New York who were returning home for the holidays after studying abroad.
The hunt for bomb-makers continued for decades after the attack. Libyan authorities captured Mas’ud, a former intelligence officer, and he was interviewed by US authorities about his involvement in the attack.
Mas’ud was charged in 2020 by the Justice Department for the destruction of a aircraft and vehicle, as well as the destruction of a vehicle that resulted in death.
Dec. 15, 1998: A US appeals court rules relatives of the 189 Americans killed in the bombing can sue Libya for its possible role in sponsoring the attack.
November 2008: Then-US Sen. Frank Lautenberg announced at a press conference that the families of American victims of the Pan-Am bombing have received final compensation from the Libyan government. Each family received about $10 million, paid in installments between 2004 and 2008.
Kenny MacAskill, Scottish justice secretary, announces that the convicted murderer will be released on compassionate grounds due to his terminal cancer. After being released, Megrahi returns to Libya and receives a jubilant welcome.