Lockerbie bombing trial postponed days before start
The trial of Libyan man Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi over the Lockerbie bombing has been postponed to next January after new evidence emerged.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi has been postponed for a third time.
- Defence lawyers revealed newly discovered evidence emerged from the US government on Friday, August 21.
- Jury selection in Washington DC originally scheduled for Wednesday has been set aside.
- The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on December 21, 1988, killed a total of 270 people.
The trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan man accused in connection with the Lockerbie bombing, has been postponed for a third time after new evidence surfaced just days before proceedings were due to begin. Jury selection was scheduled to get under way in Washington DC on Wednesday, but a new start date has now been set for January next year.
Lawyers acting for Al-Marimi stated that newly discovered evidence, previously unknown to both the defence and prosecutors, emerged from the US government on Friday, August 21. Al-Marimi has consistently denied manufacturing the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, resulting in 270 fatalities.
The Lockerbie bombing remains the deadliest terrorist attack in British history. The last-minute adjournment highlights the intricate legal challenges of prosecuting a decades-old international case and demonstrates how newly surfaced material can compel courts to pause proceedings to ensure absolute judicial fairness.
Defence counsel informed the court that constitutional and ethical obligations required them to investigate the new development. They met with Al-Marimi on Sunday, and he agreed that they should request an adjournment. Trial judge Dabney Friedrich agreed to set aside the start date, underscoring the potential significance of the new material.
For the relatives of the victims and for Al-Marimi himself, this latest delay means a final verdict may not be reached until next spring, marking another twist in a saga spanning nearly four decades. Pan Am Flight 103 was travelling from Heathrow to New York when a bomb detonated in its forward hold, breaking the aircraft apart at 31,000 feet.
"We have to live in this anxiety until we actually get to trial"
Kara Weipz
Campaigner Kara Weipz, president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group, expressed that she was floored upon receiving the news of the postponement. Meanwhile, Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, acknowledged that the adjournment would be disappointing for grieving families and followers of the case.
Source: BBC World
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