Libyan Operative Charged in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing

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A Libyan man accused of making the bomb which destroyed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie 34 years ago is in United States custody, Scottish authorities have said.

The US announced charges against Abu Agila Masud two years ago, alleging that he played a key role in the bombing on 21 December, 1988.

The blast on board the Boeing 747 left 270 people dead.

It is the deadliest terrorist incident to have taken place on British soil.

All 259 passengers and crew on board the jumbo jet bound to New York from London died while another 11 people were killed in Lockerbie when wreckage destroyed their homes.

Last month it was reported that Masud had been kidnapped by a militia group in Libya, leading to speculation that he was going to be handed over to the American authorities to stand trial.

A US Justice Department spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that Masud would make an initial appearance in a federal court in Washington.

Five years ago he was serving a prison sentence in Libya for bomb-making.

At Monday's hearing, US Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather elected to delay the formal reading of charges until after Mr Masud secures legal representation for his trial. He did not enter any plea.

He spoke his full name into the record, and was informed by the judge that a translator was present to interpret court proceedings into Arabic for him. He was ordered to remain in custody at least until a detention hearing on 27 December.

Mr Masud is facing multiple charges, including destruction of aircraft resulting in death. Prosecutors said at Monday's hearing that they would not seek the death penalty and Mr Masud could face life imprisonment if convicted.

Wearing a teal prison jumpsuit, he lightly limped into court with a medical mask covering his white beard.

As the judge read out the three charges, he interrupted to say in Arabic: "I can't talk until I've spoken to my attorney."

He is currently seeking legal counsel, which the judge said was his right after Mr Masud rejected the offer of free representation from the public defender's office.
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Each of the charges he faces include a possible sentence of life in prison, the death penalty or a fine of up to $250,000 (£203,000).

But US prosecutors told the court they would not seek death, as they believe the punishment was not legally available at the time of his alleged crime.

The US justice department first announced criminal charges against Mr Masud in December 2020. At the time, US prosecutors alleged that he had worked for Libyan intelligence in a number of roles between 1973 and 2011, including as an explosives expert.

The case against Mr Masud partly rests on an interview he gave to Libyan officials in 2012 after he was taken into custody following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's government. In the interview, he admitted building the bomb used in the attack and setting its timer to explode while the aircraft was in flight. Mr Masud also claimed that Gaddafi had thanked him and two co-conspirators "for their successful attack" on the US.

A number of observers have voiced concerns that the confession may have been coerced in the chaotic months following the regime's fall, when Libya did not have a fully functioning legal system.