DoJ: Suspect in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing Appears in US Court, Faces Life in Prison

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A man suspected of involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 made an initial appearance in a US court, facing life in prison if convicted, the Justice Department said in a Monday release.

"Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas’ud), 71, of Tunisia and Libya, made his initial appearance in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges, unsealed today, stemming from the Dec. 21, 1988, civilian aircraft bombing that killed 270 people," the Justice Department said.

In December 2020, the Justice Department made public a criminal complaint against Mas’ud, charging him with destruction of aircraft resulting in death, and destruction of a vehicle used in foreign commerce by means of an explosive resulting in death.

The incident, which occurred over Lockerbie, Scotland, killed 270 people, including 190 American citizens. Nationals from the United Kingdom and 19 other countries were aboard the doomed flight. The US and Scotland have jointly pursued justice for the victims since the bombing, including in regards to the prosecution of Mas’ud, the Justice Department said.

Mas’ud allegedly worked for the External Security Organization, a Libyan intelligence service engaged in acts of terrorism against other nations, the Justice Department said. Mas’ud and two other men are alleged to have planted a suitcase-bomb that destroyed the aircraft, according to the Justice Department.

Mas’ud faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, the Justice Department said.

The Libyan national was taken into US custody on Sunday after having served a separate 10-year sentence in Tripoli.

To date, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is the only individual who was convicted for the 1988 bombing. Megrahi was one of two Libyan intelligence operatives Mas'ud communicated with ahead of the planned bombing. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2012.