A US federal judge has scheduled a hearing in Washington, DC, to discuss the case against Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a former Libyan intelligence officer accused of involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. The attack on Pan Am Flight 103 killed all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.

Federal prosecutors allege that Mas’ud built the bomb that brought down the aircraft over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. The explosion killed citizens of 21 countries, including 190 Americans, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in UK history.

Judge Dabney Friedrich postponed the trial, which was set to begin with jury selection last week, citing the discovery of new evidence. Mas’ud’s defense team said prosecutors disclosed the material just days before the scheduled start, and they need time to investigate. This is the latest twist in a case that has seen numerous delays.

Mas’ud, now in his mid-70s, faces two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. He was charged on December 21, 2020, nearly 32 years after the bombing, and taken into US custody in 2022.

According to prosecutors, Mas’ud worked for Libyan intelligence from 1973 to 2011, rising to the rank of colonel. They claim he acted on orders from then-leader Muammar Gaddafi, flying from Libya to Malta with a bomb hidden in a suitcase, which he handed to co-conspirators.

Two other Libyan agents, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima, were tried in the Netherlands in 2000. Megrahi was convicted and sentenced to life, but released on compassionate grounds in 2009; Fahima was acquitted. Both have since died.

The trial was originally scheduled for May 2025, then postponed to April, and now may not begin until next year. The delays are due to the complexity of the case and Mas’ud’s health. The Lockerbie bombing remains a key unresolved chapter in international terrorism history.

Source: www.aljazeera.com