Thursday, September 18, 2025
  • Login
Euro Times
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology
Euro Times
No Result
View All Result

Alleged Lockerbie bomb maker in U.S. custody, officials say

by The Associated Press
December 11, 2022
in World
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
Home World
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


A Libyan intelligence official accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 in an international act of terrorism has been taken into U.S. custody and will face federal charges in Washington, the Justice Department said Sunday.

The arrest of Abu Agela Masud Kheir Al-Marimi is a significant milestone in the decades-old investigation into the attack that killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground. American authorities in December 2020 announced charges against Masud, who was in Libyan custody at the time.

Though he is the third Libyan intelligence official charged in the U.S. in connection with the attack, he would be the first to appear in an American courtroom for prosecution.

The New York-bound Pan Am flight exploded over Lockerbie less than an hour after takeoff from London on Dec. 21, 1988. Citizens from 21 different countries were killed. Among the 190 Americans on board were 35 Syracuse University students flying home for Christmas after a semester abroad.

The bombing laid bare the threat of international terrorism more than a decade before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. It produced global investigations and punishing sanctions while spurring demands for accountability from victims of those killed.

The announcement of charges against Masud on Dec. 21, 2020, came on the 32nd anniversary of the bombing and in the final days of the tenure of then-U.S. attorney general of William Barr, who in his first stint in the position in the early 1990s had announced criminal charges against two other Libyans intelligence officials.

The Libyan government initially balked at turning over the two other men, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, before ultimately surrendering them for prosecution before a panel of Scottish judges sitting in the Netherlands as part of a special arrangement.

The Justice Department said Masud will appear soon in a federal court in Washington, where he faces two criminal counts related to the explosion.

Libyan reports of capture in November

U.S. officials did not say how Masud came to be taken into U.S. custody, but in late November, local Libyan media reported that Masud had been kidnapped by armed men on Nov. 16 from his residence in Tripoli, the capital. That reporting cited a family statement that accused Tripoli authorities of being silent on the abduction.

On Nov. 21, Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister for the country’s Tripoli-based government, told the BBC in an interview that “we, as a government, are very open in terms of collaboration in this matter,” when asked whether an extradition was possible.

Torn by civil war since 2011, Libya is divided between rival governments in the east and west, each backed by international patrons and numerous armed militias on the ground. Militia groups have amassed great wealth and power from kidnappings and their involvement in Libya’s lucrative human trafficking trade.

U.S. say interview included admission of bomb making

A breakthrough in the Lockerbie investigation came when U.S. officials in 2017 received a copy of an interview that Masud, a longtime explosives expert for Libya’s intelligence service, had given to Libyan law enforcement in 2012 after being taken into custody following the collapse of the government of the country’s leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

In that interview, U.S. officials said, Masud admitted building the bomb in the Pan Am attack and working with two other conspirators to carry it out. He also said the operation was ordered by Libyan intelligence and that Gadhafi thanked him and other members of the team after the attack, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

That affidavit said Masud told Libyan law enforcement that he flew to Malta to meet al-Megrahi and Fhimah. He handed Fhimah a medium-sized Samsonite suitcase containing a bomb, having already been instructed to set the timer so that the device would explode exactly 11 hours later, according to the document. He then flew to Tripoli, the FBI said.

Al-Megrahi was convicted in the Netherlands while Fhimah was acquitted of all charges. Al-Megrahi was given a life sentence, but Scottish authorities released him on humanitarian grounds in 2009 after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He later died in Tripoli, still protesting his innocence.

In announcing charges against Masud in 2020, Barr said the U.S. and Scotland would use “every feasible and appropriate means” to bring him to trial.

“At long last, this man responsible for killing Americans and many others will be subject to justice for his crimes,” Barr said at the time.

Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on Sunday announced the arrest as well, saying in a statement that “the families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been told that the suspect is in U.S. custody.”

The statement added that “Scottish prosecutors and police, working with U.K. government and U.S. colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with al-Megrahi to justice.”



Source link

Tags: allegedbombCustodyLockerbiemakerofficials
Previous Post

Did you buy a house before 2022? If the answer is ‘no,’ you’ll likely be on the wrong end of financial inequality over the next decade — this is why

Next Post

These ‘The White Lotus’ Characters Likely Won’t Survive Tonight’s Finale

Related Posts

US revokes visas for Indian executives over fentanyl allegations | Drugs News

US revokes visas for Indian executives over fentanyl allegations | Drugs News

by Ali Harb
September 18, 2025
0

US embassy says company leaders – who it didn't establish – are concerned in ‘trafficking fentanyl precursors’.Printed On 18 Sep...

Brigitte Macron to give ‘photographic evidence’ she’s a woman after French first lady lost lawsuit over gender rumours

Brigitte Macron to give ‘photographic evidence’ she’s a woman after French first lady lost lawsuit over gender rumours

by Juliana Cruz Lima
September 18, 2025
0

BRIGITTE Macron is planning to current proof she is a lady after dropping a shock lawsuit in France over weird...

How Laser Weapons Could Take On War Drones

How Laser Weapons Could Take On War Drones

by Lara Jakes, Nikolay Nikolov and David Jouppi
September 18, 2025
0

new video loaded: How Laser Weapons Might Take On Warfare DronesBy Lara Jakes, Nikolay Nikolov and David Jouppi•September 18, 2025Russia’s...

3 police officers fatally shot in Pennsylvania — RT World News

3 police officers fatally shot in Pennsylvania — RT World News

by RT
September 18, 2025
0

Three US law enforcement officials have been fatally shot whereas serving a court docket warrant in York County, Pennsylvania, on...

Indian celebrities with UAE Golden Visa: Full list and why they’re choosing the Emirates | World News

Indian celebrities with UAE Golden Visa: Full list and why they’re choosing the Emirates | World News

by TOI World Desk
September 17, 2025
0

Bollywood celebrities obtain the UAE Golden Visa for his or her distinctive contributions to leisure, fostering cultural alternate and strengthening...

Russia Advancing in Almost All Directions in Special Operation Zone

Russia Advancing in Almost All Directions in Special Operation Zone

by Author
September 18, 2025
0

https://sputnikglobe.com/20250917/russia-advancing-in-almost-all-directions-in-special-operation-zone---general-staff-chief-1122804227.htmlRussia Advancing in Nearly All Instructions in Particular Operation Zone - Normal Employees ChiefRussia Advancing in Nearly All Instructions in...

Next Post
These ‘The White Lotus’ Characters Likely Won’t Survive Tonight’s Finale

These 'The White Lotus' Characters Likely Won't Survive Tonight's Finale

Goldman Sachs Is Trying to Make Blockchain Bonds Happen

Goldman Sachs Is Trying to Make Blockchain Bonds Happen

North Korean Hackers Exploiting Hiring, Vendors, and Support Tickets

North Korean Hackers Exploiting Hiring, Vendors, and Support Tickets

September 18, 2025
US revokes visas for Indian executives over fentanyl allegations | Drugs News

US revokes visas for Indian executives over fentanyl allegations | Drugs News

September 18, 2025
NBA star Kevin Durant can’t unlock his Coinbase bitcoin account

NBA star Kevin Durant can’t unlock his Coinbase bitcoin account

September 18, 2025
Accelerate asset monetisation in railways, roads: Sebi chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey

Accelerate asset monetisation in railways, roads: Sebi chief Tuhin Kanta Pandey

September 18, 2025
This Core i7-powered Lenovo RTX 5060 laptop is 5 off right now

This Core i7-powered Lenovo RTX 5060 laptop is $225 off right now

September 18, 2025
Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund Q2 2025 Commentary

Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund Q2 2025 Commentary

September 18, 2025
Euro Times

Get the latest news and follow the coverage of Business & Financial News, Stock Market Updates, Analysis, and more from the trusted sources.

CATEGORIES

  • Business
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Finance
  • Health
  • Investing
  • Markets
  • Politics
  • Stock Market
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • World

LATEST UPDATES

North Korean Hackers Exploiting Hiring, Vendors, and Support Tickets

US revokes visas for Indian executives over fentanyl allegations | Drugs News

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us

Copyright © 2022 - Euro Times.
Euro Times is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Finance
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Markets
  • Stock Market
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Investing
  • Health
  • Technology

Copyright © 2022 - Euro Times.
Euro Times is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In