1 week ago
New Evidence Delays Trial in Pan Am 103 Bombing Case
A US judge delayed the trial of a former Libyan intelligence official.
Prosecutors accuse him of building the bomb used against Pan Am Flight 103.
The plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988.
Everyone on the plane died, along with 11 people on the ground.
Lawyers for the accused say prosecutors recently gave them new evidence.
They want time to study that evidence and decide how to defend him.
The judge will hold a hearing on September 1 to discuss what happens next.
The accused has pleaded not guilty and could receive life in prison if convicted.
A federal judge postponed jury selection in Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi's Washington trial.
Defence lawyers said prosecutors disclosed newly discovered evidence on Saturday and evidence located in other countries.
A September 1 hearing will address the case's status and next steps; no new trial date was set.
Al-Marimi has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he built the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.
The bombing killed 270 people: 259 aboard the aircraft and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie.
- Who
- Former Libyan intelligence official Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is charged in the case; US prosecutors brought the charges.
- What
- A federal judge postponed the trial after prosecutors disclosed newly discovered evidence and other evidence located abroad.
- Where
- The trial is in federal court in Washington, DC; Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland.
- When
- The postponement was ordered Monday, with jury selection previously scheduled for Wednesday; a status hearing is set for September 1. The bombing occurred on December 21, 1988.
- Why
- Judge Dabney Friedrich cited the complex case, newly discovered evidence and the defence's need to determine how best to proceed.
Defence position
Prosecution allegations
Reason for postponement
Defence position
The defence says its constitutional and ethical obligations require investigating the newly disclosed evidence before trial.
Prosecution allegations
The judge cited the new evidence, evidence located in other countries and the complexity of determining how the defence should proceed.
Al-Marimi's alleged role
Defence position
Al-Marimi has pleaded not guilty, denied wrongdoing and challenged the credibility of evidence, including an alleged 2012 confession.
Prosecution allegations
Prosecutors allege he built a time-delayed bomb, brought it to Malta and transferred it through Frankfurt and London onto Flight 103.
Responsibility for the attack
Defence position
The defence is seeking time to examine evidence in a decades-old case and has disputed the prosecution's evidence.
Prosecution allegations
Prosecutors allege Al-Marimi and others carried out the bombing at the direction of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi; Libya's government accepted responsibility in 2003.
Key facts
- Defendant
- Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a former Libyan intelligence official
- Charges
- Two counts related to destruction of an aircraft resulting in death
- Bombing date
- December 21, 1988
- Death toll
- 270 people: 259 aboard the aircraft and 11 on the ground
- Trial status
- Jury selection was postponed, and no new trial date was announced
- New evidence
- Prosecutors disclosed newly discovered evidence to defence lawyers on Saturday; its nature was not specified
- Maximum penalty
- Life in prison if convicted
Quotes
Al-Marimi's defense lawyers
Lawyers representing the former Libyan intelligence official in the US case
“constitutional and ethical obligations require the defence to investigate this development.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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