This was backed up by a delegation of Lockerbie relatives, led by Pamela Dix, who went to 10 Downing Street on 24 October 2009 and handed over a letter addressed to Gordon Brown calling for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the need for a public inquiry and the main issues that it should address. "35 scholarships honor Lockerbie crash victims". 2. [151], There are several private and public memorials to the PA103 victims. Pan Am 103 originated as a feeder flight at Frankfurt Airport, West Germany, using a Boeing 727 and the flight number PA103-A. As pieces of the aircraft hit the ground, some exploded. [66], On 21 December 2020, the 32nd anniversary of the disaster, the United States attorney general announced that Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan national in custody in Libya, had been charged with terrorism-related crimes in connection with the bombing, accusing him of involvement in constructing the bomb. December 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit via London blows up. Al-Megrahi later sent to jail in Glasgow. Yet the sample he was asked to identify at the trial was a green 9-ply circuit board that Mebo had indeed supplied to Libya. The bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 was concealed in a cassette recorder and packed inside a suitcase that was loaded onto a flight from Malta to Frankfurt, Germany, with no accompanying passenger. [22] The rear fuselage, parts of the baggage hold, and three landing gear units landed at Rosebank Crescent. Scottish police officers and Lockerbie residents regularly volunteered to be guides and companions to these special visitors, and because of the grace and compassion shown to grieving strangers a long way from home, lasting bonds were formed. "[51], In December 2013, the original prime suspects in the bombing were revealed to have been the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC), a Syria-based group led by Ahmed Jibril. The 200,000lb (91,000kg) of jet fuel ignited by the impact started fires, which destroyed several additional houses. I left my office that night, he said, and I didn't get back there for three years., From the outset, the Scottish police treated the disaster as a crime scene and preserved everything that might be evidence. Terrorism impacts all kinds of people, and its very personal and long lasting, said Kathryn Turman, the FBIs Victim Services Division assistant director. 'To hide it, he (Khadafy) did everything in his power to get al-Megrahi back from Scotland,' Abdel-Jalil was quoted as saying."[148]. [158] A memorial plaque and garden in memory of its two students lost in the bombing is set in the University of Rochester's Eastman Quadrangle. We have sweaters that my uncle bought for our family in perfect condition still, she said, because those women took the time to care, which is absolutely unbelievable.. A Lockerbie disaster victims grandchildren gaze reflectively across the quiet land where their granddad died in Britains worst terrorist attack 30 years ago. [87] Three weeks later, on 12 August 2009, Megrahi applied to have his second appeal dropped and was granted compassionate release for his terminal prostate cancer. Back then, these wreckage-littered fields six miles outside the Scottish town bore witness to the horrifying bombing of Pan-Am flight 103 in the skies above. [113] The result was Gaddafi's lingering animosity against the two countries which led to Libyan support for the bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772. He said, I want a professional victim assistance program. "The mystery if that's what you want to call it was laid to rest.". The Scottish Government had already rejected an independent inquiry, saying it lacks the constitutional power to examine the international dimensions of the case.[121]. [160], The Women of Lockerbie (2003) is a play written by Deborah Brevoort which depicts a woman from New Jersey roaming the hills of Lockerbie, Scotland. The Scottish court agreed, allowing a live feed of the trial to two sites in the United Kingdomone in Scotland and one in Londonand a delayed, taped feed broadcast to locations in New York and Washington, D.C. [5], In 2020, US authorities indicted the Tunisia resident and Libyan national Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, who was 37 years old at the time of the incident[6] for participating in the bombing, and in December 2022, they obtained custody of him. In a matter of hours, thousands of police officers, firefighters, military personnel, and other volunteers converged on rural Lockerbie. Had his parents' bodies been recovered, the entire family would be buried there together. All 259 on board die, and 11 on ground. All 259 on board die, and 11 on ground. He also said there was no evidence to link Libya with the April 1984 shooting of police officer Yvonne Fletcher outside the Libyan Embassy in London. U.S. Said to Be Near Charges for Another Suspect in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing. Hugh mentioned Dads dark hair and asked whether his children had it too. Victoria Cummock's husband was among the 259 passengers who died after a bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988, just north of the England-Scotland border. Others sought the comfort of the peaceful memorials erected to honor the victims. Lockerbie bombing victims with the remaining 20% of the sum agreed in 2003; News.bbc.co.uk. The Libyan government claimed the air strikes killed Hana Gaddafi, a daughter Gaddafi claimed he adopted (her reported age has varied between 15 months and seven years). May 2018: Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission probes Megrahis conviction. The Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie. Richard Granat-the creator of MyLawyer.com, SmartLegalForms and the People's Law Library of Maryland-has joined Intraspexion, a new artificial-intelligence software company, as a strategic adviser. Within a week of what Scottish authorities were calling the Lockerbie air disaster, it was determined that Pan Am Flight 103 had been destroyed by a bomb. [163][164] In Sherwood Crescent there is a garden of remembrance to the seven Lockerbie residents killed when the aircraft's main wreckage fell there, destroying their homes.[165]. [34] A group of US intelligence specialists was on board the flight. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Clipper Maid of the Seas' "squawk" then flickered off. "He said it was a child by the name of Bryony Owen who was 20 months old and it had affected his father very badly over the years. The Lockerbie bombing took place on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky. Megrahi's lawyer Maggie Scott expressed dismay at the delays: "There is a very serious danger that my client will die before the case is determined. Documania. The same source claims that, following this, "the shaking stopped and to his surprise he was uninjured". When the disaster occurred, Bells Glasgow desk contained files of all the cases he was working on. The colleges attended by some students are identified . -- Here's a list of the 270 people killed 25 years ago today in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988. The American peopleand our adversariesneed to know that we dont give up.. "[citation needed], "Flight 103" redirects here. Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi refused to turn over the two suspects. At this point, the Clipper Maid of the Seas was flying at 31,000 feet (9,400m) on a heading of 316 magnetic, and at a speed of 313kn (580km/h; 360mph) calibrated airspeed. More U.S. civilians died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland than in any other terrorist attack except 9/11. It was held at a former U.S. Air Force base in the Netherlands called Camp Zeist, which was converted into a Scottish court as well as a detention facility for the two defendants. Bissett. The U.S. arrest of Libyan man Abu Agila Mas'ud accused of making the bomb that exploded on board Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 has renewed attention on the incident. SUNY Oswego also gives out scholarships in memorial of Colleen Brunner to a student who is studying abroad. So Laurie, Mary Lou, now 75, sister Michelle Lipkin, 47, and brother Frank, 51, made their first pilgrimage to meet the Connells in 1992. "The farmer was there and it was his father who'd brought the child to the town hall. Transcript of the trial of the Scottish court at Camp Zeist 2000, p. 59. The FBI, the Justice Department, no one really had much of a program of assistance in 1988 when Pan Am 103 happened, Turman said. "[131] The statement first came to public attention in the 1994 documentary film The Maltese Double Cross Lockerbie and was published in both The Guardian of 12 November 1994, and a special report from Private Eye magazine entitled Lockerbie, the flight from justice May/June 2001. The level of collaboration at the trial between the FBI, Department of Justice, and other federal law enforcement agencies, along with Scottish partnerswho had already set a remarkable example of compassion toward victims in the aftermath of the bombingforged a connection between family members, investigators, and victim advocates that exists to this day. August 2003: UN sanctions lifted against Libya after Tripoli accepts blame and compensates families. Two of Pan Am's subsidiaries, Alert Management Inc., which handles Pan Am's security at foreign airports, and Pan American World Services, were also found guilty. "[48][49], Muammar Gaddafi took responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families in 2003, though he maintained that he had not ordered the attack. As time passed, many came to say thank you. "[86], On 25 July 2009, Megrahi applied to be released from jail on compassionate grounds. Megrahi is seen below a portrait of Gadhafi at Tripoli Medical Center in Libya. January 2001: Al-Megrahi gets life. Kchler described the decisions of the trial and appeal courts as a "spectacular miscarriage of justice". They turned up in a sports car and made me feel quite uneasy. Instead, the judges announced on January 30 that the verdict would be read the next day at 11 a.m. Turman raced out of the courtroom. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet, the aircraft had just crossed the border into Scotland when the bomb exploded. The aircraft did not acknowledge this message. It was on such a trip on Friday that Colin finally discovered who the child was. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Over three years, investigators from the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries questioned more than 15,000 people in more than 30 countries and collected thousands of pieces of evidence. Something went wrong, please try again later. [82] Maggie Scott also asked for documents relating to an alleged payment of $2million made to Maltese merchant, Tony Gauci, for his testimony at the trial, which led to the conviction of Megrahi. According to a CIA analysis dated 22 December 1988, several groups were quick to claim responsibility in telephone calls in the United States and Europe: The list's author noted, "We consider the claims from the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution as the most credible one received so far," but the analysis concluded, "We cannot assign responsibility for this tragedy to any terrorist group at this time. Four days before Christmas in 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet above Scotland. Eleven Lockerbie residents on Sherwood Crescent were killed when the wing section hit the house at 13 Sherwood Crescent at more than 800km/h (500mph) and exploded, creating a crater 47m (154ft) long and with a volume of 560m3 (730cuyd). Mothers and fathers, grandparents, children as young as 2 months old, and college students returning home from a study abroad program lost their lives in what was the largest terrorist attack in American history until 9/11. Across the town, across Scotland, across the world, the scale of the tragedy was becoming clear. Listen to article. Fragments of a Samsonite suitcase believed to have contained the bomb were recovered, together with parts and pieces of circuit board identified as components of a Toshiba 'Bombeat' RT-SF16, radio cassette player, similar to that used to conceal a Semtex bomb seized by West German police from the Palestinian militant group PLO-GC two months earlier. [18][19] Comparison of the CVR to the radar returns showed that, eight seconds after the explosion, the wreckage had a 1-nautical-mile (1.9km) spread. [102], After the United States government obtained custody of Mas'ud, heads of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees of the Libyan Parliament, Talal al-Mihoub and Youssef al-Aqouri, demanded an urgent investigation into the extradition of Mas'ud, calling it a blatant violation of national sovereignty and an infringement of the rights of the Libyan citizen. [103], Until 2002, Libya had never formally admitted carrying out the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. He met the families, and the compassion shown to them by the Scottish police made a deep impression on him. The work consists of 43 nude statues of the wives and mothers who lost a husband or a child. He told The Herald of 29 June 2007: "No officials to be blamed, simply a Maltese shopkeeper. DUMFRIES, Scotland (AP) _ Two passengers might have survived the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 had they received the best medical care immediately, a Scottish pathologist testified Wednesday. So much of what we ended up doing for 9/11 families and others has come from lessons learned from the Pan Am 103 families, she said. I think that we have accomplished a lot, and that, to me, is how I have been able to handle it., With scholarships and endowments, Johnsons wife, Carole, added, we have been able to fulfill some of Beth Anns dreams for other people. It was the first time the FBI was involved working with other agencies, with other governments, to investigate and eventually resolve a major international terrorist attack against Americans, said Dick Marquise, the retired FBI agent who initially led the Bureaus investigation and who still cares deeply about the case. As many as 25 homes were destroyed. This has always been regarded as a joint investigation with our FBI colleagues, said Stuart Cossar, the Police Scotland investigator. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. . He went on to describe the families of the Lockerbie victims as very greedy: "They were asking for more money and more money and more money". Contrary to many popular accounts of the disaster (though repeated, with reference, below), the flight, which had a scheduled gate departure time of 18:00, left Heathrow airport on time.[16][17]. In addition to the Remembrance Scholars, Syracuse hosts two Lockerbie Scholars each year from Scotland, a continuing reminder of the enduring bond between the university and the town. The nose cone landed a few miles away in a field opposite a church, images of which would become an iconic testament to the tragedy. Some 300 tons of wreckage were scattered over an area measuring 845 square miles, making the disaster also a crime scene of massive proportions. [132], Jim Kreindler of the New York law firm Kreindler & Kreindler, which orchestrated the settlement, said: "These are uncharted waters. The purchaser was, on Mr Gauci's evidence, a Libyan. Although it is sadly symbolic that the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 occurred on that day, it is perhaps more meaningful to consider that the responses to the tragedythe kindnesses shown, the friendships made, the positive changes to aviation security, and law enforcements care for victimscontinue to cast a very bright light into the world all these years later. A 2012 Libyan interrogation report claiming he admitted to making the Lockerbie bomb had made its way to US authorities, and in 2020, the FBI traveled to Tunisia to interview the former Libyan official who had taken Masuds statement. The Maltese government responded saying that the demand for a UN inquiry was "an interesting development that would be deeply considered, although there were complex issues surrounding the event. I got an expert in to confirm I was being listened to. Colin chose not to use his position in the police to find out who the child was, feeling that it would have been unprofessional to do so. [59], A circuit board fragment, allegedly found embedded in a piece of charred material, was identified as part of an electronic timer similar to one found on a Libyan intelligence agent who had been arrested 10 months previously for carrying materials for a Semtex bomb. First Officer Raymond R. Wagner (52), a pilot with Pan Am since 1966 with almost 5,500 hours in the 747 and a total of nearly 12,000 hours, had previously served eight years in the New Jersey National Guard. [136], On 24 February 2004, Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem stated in a BBC Radio 4 interview that his country had paid the compensation as the "price for peace" and to secure the lifting of sanctions. [126] Following the Lockerbie verdict in 2001 and the appeal in 2002, attempts have been made to re-open the case amid allegations that Libya was framed. The only basis for an appeal under Scots law is that a "miscarriage of justice" had occurred, which is not defined in statute, so the appeal court must determine the meaning of these words in each case. Ive never seen a law enforcement agency other than the Scottish police who did anything like this, Turman said. Each year, the university names 35 Remembrance Scholars, one for every student who died. In all, 270 souls perished. He had carried the child into the town hall. [42], The anonymous warning was taken seriously by the US government and the State Department cabled the bulletin to dozens of embassies. His father, S. Frank Ciulla, was killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland. Hed taken off his jacket and removed his shoes, like he always did when he was travelling by plane. 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 . In 2003, Gaddafi accepted Libya's responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and paid compensation to the families of the victims, although he maintained that he had never given the order for the attack. The Boeing 747, known as the Clipper Maid of the Seas, left London Heathrow with 243 passengers and 16 crew members, including 189 Americans. "[52] A deep-cover CIA agent was told by up to 15 high-level Syrian officials that the PFLP-GC was involved and that officials interacted with Jibril "on a constant basis". The ceremony also honors 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died in 2002. Alan Dron. He survived for almost three more years. [54] The Iranian foreign ministry swiftly denied any involvement. We cannot say that it is impossible that the clothing might have been taken from Malta, united somewhere with a timer from some source other than Libya and introduced into the airline baggage system at Frankfurt or Heathrow. Acting as a money mule, or moving illegally acquired funds at the direction of another person, aids the work of criminals and is itself a crime. It will always, in my view, outshine any terrorist act., Katie Berrell is a senior at Syracuse University, about the same age as her uncle, Steven Berrell, when he was killed on Pan Am Flight 103. Mum had been so worried about him dying alone in the cold of the Scottish countryside. In 2009 Megrahi, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, was released from prison in Scotland on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya; the United States strongly disagreed with the Scottish governments decision. The Scots provided transportation from the airport, and Dutch authorities quickly ushered a couple hundred family members through customs, many leaving their baggage behind in the rush. The US Defense Intelligence Agency alleges that Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur (Ayatollah Mohtashemi), a member of the Iranian government, paid US$10million for the bombing: Ayatollah Mohtashemi: () and was the one who paid the same amount to bomb Pan Am Flight 103 in retaliation for the 310.[127]. In 2009, with al-Megrahi suffering from prostate cancer and believed to be near death, the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice issued what became a controversial ruling: They released him, allowing him to return to Libya to die. [11][13] In 1978, as Clipper Morning Light, it had appeared in "Conquering the Atlantic", the fourth episode of the BBC Television documentary series Diamonds in the Sky, presented by Julian Pettifer.[14]. Afterward, United States and British investigators found fragments of a circuit board and a timer, and ruled that a bomb, not mechanical failure, caused the explosion. [105], The motive that is generally attributed to Libya can be traced back to a series of military confrontations with the US Navy that took place in the 1980s in the Gulf of Sidra, the whole of which Libya claimed as its territorial waters. appreciated. Several other houses and their foundations were destroyed, and 21 others were damaged beyond repair. [148], On 5 December 2003, Jim Kreindler revealed that his Park Avenue law firm would receive an initial contingency fee of around US$1million from each of the 128 American families Kreindler represents. Flight Engineer Jerry D. Avritt (46), who joined Pan Am in 1980 after 13 years with National Airlines, had more than 8,000 hours of flying time, with nearly 500 hours in the 747. Based on a 1995 investigation by journalists Paul Foot and John Ashton, alternative explanations of the plot to commit the Lockerbie bombing were listed by The Guardian's Patrick Barkham in 1999. [38] The bodies of both 15 Sherwood Crescent children and both 16 Sherwood Crescent parents were never recovered. Probably the biggest regret I have is that we did not get everybody, Marquise said recently. On 14 March 2002, Lord Cullen took less than three minutes to deliver the decision of the High Court of Judiciary. Then as now, the goal is to hold everyone involved responsible for the crime and to bring justice to the families of the victims. Bakhmut attacks still being repelled, says Ukraine, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Spencer Matthews looks for brother's body on Everest. [114], Prior to the abandonment of Megrahi's second appeal against conviction and while new evidence could be still tested in court, there had been few calls for an independent inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing. We had to have another look at ourselves and decide we are not simply dealing with people from Scotland, from the United Kingdom, McCulloch said. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. The plane, which operated the flight's transatlantic leg, pushed back from the terminal at 18:04 and took off from runway 27R at 18:25, bound for New York JFK Airport and then Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. On December 21, 1988, the State of Libya bombed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 innocent civilians. At 7:03 p.m., 11 Sherwood Crescent residents, including a family of four, were killed instantly. That focus lies in London and at the door of the then inhabitant of Number 10 Downing Street. "[96] Megrahi died of prostate cancer in Libya on 20 May 2012. He resembles him a lot". Megrahi was found guilty of 270 counts of murder on 31 January 2001, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Scotland; his co-defendant, Fhimah, was found not guilty. MP Andrew Mitchell said Al-Megrahi was comatose and near death. As of 2008, the remaining wreckage of the aircraft was stored about a mile from Tattershall, Lincolnshire, at Roger Windley's scrapyard (53719.35N 01258.09W / 53.1220417N 0.2161361W / 53.1220417; -0.2161361 (Windley's Scrapyard)), pending the conclusion of the American victims' civil case and further legal proceedings. Thirty-five of the passengers were students from Syracuse University, who participated in the university's Division of International Programs Abroad (abbreviated as "DIPA Program" and renamed to "Syracuse University Abroad" in 2006, while also known as "Syracuse Abroad" and "Study Abroad Program") and were returning home for Christmas following a semester in Syracuse's London and European campuses. [20]:4 Investigators determined that both wings had landed in the Sherwood Crescent crater, saying, "the total absence of debris from the wing primary structure found remote from the crater confirmed the initial impression that the complete wing box structure had been present at the main impact. Laurie says: Wed talked about the trip for a long time but mum has suffered some health problems so we wanted to wait until she was well. On Dalkamoni's account bombs made by Khreesat were at large somewhere. We all laid roses at the tree Hugh and Margaret had planted at the spot where they found dad and went to see the memorial in the town. In addition to the families of the victims, there were 50 senior Pan Am pilots and military veterans who were uniquely impacted by this bombing. [3] On 22 February 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, former Minister of Justice Mustafa Abdul Jalil stated in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Expressen that Gaddafi had personally ordered the bombing. It is the first time that any of the states designated as sponsors of terrorism have offered compensation to families of terror victims." About 7:00 pm on December 21, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Syracuse University Remembrance Scholars took their seats on the Quad at noon for 35 minutes, honoring the 35 students killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. More than 10,000 pieces of debris were retrieved, tagged, and entered into a computer tracking system. News4's Derrick Ward reports about what that means for loved ones of some of the local victims. 3 Steve was one of the first . Tests were carried out on the bodies of 233 of the victims. "It was the body of a child he'd found in a field at the back of his farm," he said. Five weeks before this warning, Jibril's right-hand man, Haffez Dalkamoni, had been arrested in Frankfurt with a known bomb-maker, Marwen Khreesat. On 23 September 2003, Megrahi applied to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) for his conviction to be reviewed, and on 28 June 2007, the SCCRC announced its decision to refer the case to the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh after it found he "may have suffered a miscarriage of justice".
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