Decades Later There are Further Developments in the Lockerbie Bombing case

By Yousuf Ali

In 1988, the Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland exploded in 1988 killing 270 people, 259 on the flight itself and 11 on the ground. Most of those killed were American citizens, and the attack is still the deadliest on United Kingdom soil. The only person convicted of the attack was the Libyan citizen Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

He was eventually released after a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2009 and died 3 years later. In recent days, there have been more developments in the United States regarding the case which could result in more prosecution of people who were involved in the attack in 1988. This is due to the upcoming unsealing of records against one suspect by the Department  of Justince in the US.

The current developments may lead to more revelations about the nature of bombing in 1988. According to the BBC, “ The US Department of Justice is expected to unseal a criminal complaint against Abu Agila Mohammad Masud in the coming days, the Wall Street Journal reports, quoting senior department officials. It says this will open a new chapter in one of the world’s longest and most sprawling terrorism investigations.” As of now, Masud is reportedly being held in Libyan prison which is currently under a different government than the Gaddafi regime which is believed to be responsible for the attack in 1988. Furthermore, it is said that Masud was a lead bombmaker for the old regime.

The case is based on a confession Masud made in 2017 which was in turn handed over to Scottish authorities. The move was announced by outgoing Attorney General William Barr. There are still questions whether or not the Scottish judiciary will cooperate with the Americans’ wish to prosecute Masud for the Lockerbie Bombing, and it is reported that Masud was involved in other bombings including one in West Berlin in 1986.