Latest news with #Masud
Daily Record
29-06-2025
- Daily Record
Lockerbie bombmaker could be caught as Scots forensics make DNA breakthrough
Scientists are now looking at DNA discovered on the Lockerbie bomb suitcase. The suitcase that hid the Lockerbie bomb has finally given up its DNA secrets, almost four decades after Britain's worst terrorist attack. Forensic experts in Scotland have extracted genetic material from the lining of the case and an umbrella packed inside it and are now testing it against a Libyan suspect accused of helping blow Pan Am Flight 103 out of the sky. The bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988, killed 270 people. The plane exploded less than 40 minutes after departing from Heathrow, on a flight bound for New York, reports the Mirror. Since the attack, the only suspect to have been convicted of the crime is Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer who was jailed for life in 2001. However, prosecutors maintain he acted with others in carrying out the attack. Megrahi was released by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds in 2009 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He lived for another 33 months before he died at his home in Tripoli, aged 60. His release angered many of the American victims' relatives who want to see the next suspect face a US court. The new evidence could finally link 74-year-old bombmaker Abu Agila Masud to the devastating attack just days before Christmas in 1988. He has been in US custody since December 2022 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Advances in technology have allowed Scottish scientists to gather DNA from the suitcase lining and an umbrella packed into the luggage before the explosion which happened mid air. Investigators believe the bomb was placed inside a radio packed in the suitcase. Prosecutors are pining their hopes on a new DNA sample that could link Masud. The Sunday Times says it has seen the US court papers which mention the potential breakthrough. Pan Am Flight 103 was heading from Heathrow to New York's JFK Airport just four days before Christmas in 1988 when it was blown out of the sky above Scotland. All 259 passengers and crew were killed, including three Irish citizens and 190 Americans. Another 11 people in Lockerbie lost their lives when parts of the plane rained down on the quiet town in Dumfries and Galloway. Masud wasn't the only suspect. Another Libyan intelligence officer, Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, 69, stood trial alongside Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in 2000. While Megrahi was convicted, Fhimah, now 69, walked free. But he's still wanted by US authorities and remains the subject of an active arrest warrant. Masud's name first came up in the original probe when detectives found the bomb had been hidden in an unaccompanied suitcase that travelled from Malta to Frankfurt, then on to Heathrow, where it was finally loaded onto Flight 103. But at the time, investigators couldn't track him down. It wasn't until Libya's dictator Colonel Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011 that Masud, known as a bomb -maker for the Libyan External Security Organisation, was finally detained by rebel forces. He was later extradited to the US, accused of building the device and taking it in a suitcase from Tripoli to Malta. Masud is alleged to have confessed while in custody in Libya, but his legal team claim the statement was extracted under duress and should not be allowed in court. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Now, a DNA sample recovered from the suitcase and items inside it could hold the key to solving the case once and for all. US court documents state that forensic scientist Dr Nighean Stevenson 'examined items relating to an umbrella and an item relating to the lining of a suitcase. These items were examined using specialised lighting, and DNA samples were taken from each. The DNA profiles obtained from these items were of varying quality and were generally commensurate with the expectations of these items.' The document continues: "Analysis of a DNA reference sample relating to the accused nominal (Masud) has yet to be carried out. 'When a DNA profile relating to this individual has been generated, it will thereafter be compared to any suitable DNA profiles which have already been obtained." Experts believe the same forensic tests could even prove whether Megrahi - the only man ever convicted over the bombing - had handled any of the items hidden in the fatal case. Key evidence against him in 2001 included the testimony of a Maltese shopkeeper, who claimed Megrahi had purchased various items of clothing, and an umbrella, from his store just days before the atrocity. In his alleged confession, made in a Libyan jail in 2012, Masud is said to have named both Megrahi and Fhimah as his co-conspirators. A criminal complaint filed by the FBI states: "Approximately three months after (the bombing), Masud and Fhimah met with the then Libyan leader, Muammar Gadaffi, and others, who thanked them for carrying out a great national duty against the Americans, and Gadaffi added that the operation was a total success."
Daily Mirror
29-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Lockerbie suitcase in landmark DNA test that may put 'bomb maker' behind bars
Scientists are now looking at DNA discovered on the Lockerbie bomb suitcase The Lockerbie bomb suitcase has given up its DNA secrets, 37 years after the atrocity. Now scientists will test the sample for a match to a Libyan suspect facing trial in America for the terrorist attack. The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988, killed 270 people in what was Britain's worst terror attack. The plane exploded less than 40 minutes after taking off from Heathrow, bound for New York. So far the only suspect to have been convicted of the crime is Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer who was jailed for life in 2001. But prosecutors maintain he acted with others in carrying out the attack. Megrahi was released by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He lived for another 33 months, dying at his home in Tripoli, aged 60. His release angered many of the American relatives who want to see the next suspect face a US court. Now Abu Agila Masud is awaiting trial, accused of being the Libyan bomb maker behind the mass murders. He has been in US custody since December 2022 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Advances in technology have allowed Scottish scientists to gather DNA from the suitcase lining and an umbrella packed into the luggage before the mid-air explosion. Investigators believe the bomb was placed inside a radio packed in the suitcase. Prosecutors hope the new DNA sample could match Masud, 74. The Sunday Times says it has seen the US court papers which mention the potential breakthrough. Pam Am Flight 103 was flying from Heathrow to John F Kennedy Airport in New York four days before Christmas when it was destroyed above Scotland. A total of 259 passengers and crew, including three Irish citizens and 190 Americans, were killed onboard. Eleven residents from the town in Dumfries and Galloway died when wreckage fell to the ground. A co-defendant in Megrahi's 2000 trial, Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, another Libyan intelligence officer, 69, was acquitted, although he remains the subject of an active US arrest warrant. Masud's name came up in the original investigation when it was found the bomb had travelled in an unaccompanied suitcase from Malta to Heathrow, via Frankfurt, before being loaded onto Flight 103. However, investigators were unable to trace him. It was only after the fall of Colonel Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, in 2011 that Masud, a bomb-maker for the Libyan External Security Organisation, was detained by opposition forces. He was extradited to the US after allegedly confessing to building the Lockerbie bomb and taking it in a suitcase from Tripoli to Malta. His defence team are set to argue the confession was extracted in Libya under duress, and is therefore inadmissible. But the DNA sample could finally crack the case. The US court papers say Dr Nighean Stevenson had 'examined items relating to an umbrella and an item relating to the lining of a suitcase. These items were examined using specialised lighting, and DNA samples were taken from each. The DNA profiles obtained from these items were of varying quality and were generally commensurate with the expectations of these items." The document continues: "Analysis of a DNA reference sample relating to the accused nominal (Masud) has yet to be carried out. 'When a DNA profile relating to this individual has been generated, it will thereafter be compared to any suitable DNA profiles which have already been obtained." In theory, the tests could also prove whether convicted Megrahi had handled items packed into the bomb suitcase. Part of the evidence against him in 2001 revolved around the testimony of a Maltese shop owner, who claimed Megrahi had bought various items of clothing and an umbrella from his business days before the attack. Masud, in his alleged confession made in a Libyan jail in 2012, named both Megrahi and Fhimah as co-conspirators. A criminal complaint filed by the FBI states: "Approximately three months after (the bombing), Masud and Fhimah met with the then Libyan leader, Muammar Gadaffi, and others, who thanked them for carrying out a great national duty against the Americans, and Gadaffi added that the operation was a total success."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The long wait for answers over the Lockerbie bombing grows longer
Major television productions are bringing the story of the Lockerbie bombing to a new global audience, but the real life drama of the trial of a new Libyan suspect has been delayed once more. Abu Agila Mohammed Mas'ud Kheir al-Marimi, known as Masud, had been due to face a Washington jury last month, accused of making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 and killed 270 people. The 12 May starting date was abandoned because of problems with his health and the complexity of the case, and the trial is now scheduled to start in April, 2026.. The date was set at the District of Columbia District Court, where Masud listened with the help of a translator and was expressionless throughout. After the hearing, relatives of American victims of the bombing told BBC News of their disappointment that the trial is now scheduled to start 50 weeks later than originally planned. Kara Weipz is the president of the US group Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and lost her 20-year-old brother Richard Monetti on the plane. "I'm just going to pray that it stays at 20 April," she said. "I was 15 when this happened, and I'm 52 now and among the relatives I'm considered young. "A lot of our family members are in their seventies and eighties and unfortunately, we lose them weekly or monthly now. "The travesty in all of this that they're not seeing the justice that they've worked 37 years to see. "That's what concerns us the most, that this trial will come around and we'll have lost more family members." Victoria Cummock's husband John was coming home from a business trip to Europe a day earlier than planned, to surprise his family. The founder of the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Legacy Foundation, Mrs Cummock said: "We've lived through 36 years of delays and postponements simply because this is an international case filled with politics. "Thirty six years with seven different administrations in America have really collided with the families' search for accountability and justice. "It's no surprise that our mission to hold them to account is being delayed." Mrs Cummock added she was concerned that President Trump's ban on Libyan citizens travelling to the US could affect the trial. She said: "It just seems like it's a very slow journey to getting this case started." Masud has been in US custody since December 2022 and has pled not guilty to the charges. The Tunisian-born Libyan is in his seventies and is understood to have diabetes and heart problems. His family in Libya has already expressed concerns over the delays to the case, saying he's an innocent man. The new trial date was fixed after a joint motion submitted by the prosecution and the defence, both of whom raised the international nature of the evidence and witnesses. A series of crucial legal arguments will have to be resolved before the trial can go ahead, with the judge Dabney Friedrich describing the 20 April date as "tentative." Those will include the admissibility of a confession Masud is alleged to have made while in custody in 2012, following the collapse of Colonel Gaddafi's regime. Another complication is the fact that new information on the case is still emerging, almost four decades after the attack. A book published in France revealed the existence of documents said to have been retrieved from the archives of the Libyan intelligence service, of which Masud is alleged to have been a member. If proved genuine, those documents detail his involvement in preparations for the attack on Pan Am 103. It's more than 24 years since the first Lockerbie trial, when three Scottish judges convicted Libyan intelligence agent Abdulbasset al-Megrahi of playing a key role in the plot. Megrahi was jailed for life but released on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government in 2009 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died three years later at home in Tripoli. His release infuriated many of the American relatives, which is why they have set so much store on the trial of Masud, the first suspect to face an American court over Lockerbie. They believe it will deliver the justice they were denied by the Scottish legal system. The bombing remains the worst terror attack in British history and claimed the lives of 43 UK citizens. Some, but not all, of the British relatives have never accepted the verdict against Megrahi, including the Rev John Mosey, whose daughter Helga was on the plane. "I think they're just waiting for people like me to pop our clogs and get out of the way," he said. "I'm still pretty cynical about the whole thing. I would like to be proved wrong but I can't see it happening. "As far as I'm concerned, who made the bomb and who put in on the plane are secondary as to who were the main criminals. "They were the group of people who had all the warnings that this was going to happen and warned their own people but didn't warn the public." The big budget television dramas may have pushed the Lockerbie bombing back into the public eye but it's clear that there's a very long way to go before a jury delivers its verdict on Masud. Judge Friedrich warned that if things are not done in a timely manner, there's a risk the trial could "slip" into 2027. As she reminded everyone in the court: "This isn't a normal criminal case." Lockerbie bombing trial delayed until next year New documents blame Libya for Lockerbie bombing 'My brother died in Lockerbie - our story changed how air disasters are handled'
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The long wait for answers over Lockerbie bombing grows longer
Major television productions are bringing the story of the Lockerbie bombing to a new global audience, but the real life drama of the trial of a new Libyan suspect has been delayed once Agila Mohammed Mas'ud Kheir al-Marimi, known as Masud, had been due to face a Washington jury last month, accused of making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 and killed 270 12 May starting date was abandoned because of problems with his health and the complexity of the case, and the trial is now scheduled to start in April, date was set at the District of Columbia District Court, where Masud listened with the help of a translator and was expressionless throughout. After the hearing, relatives of American victims of the bombing told BBC News of their disappointment that the trial is now scheduled to start 50 weeks later than originally Weipz is the president of the US group Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and lost her 20-year-old brother Richard Monetti on the plane."I'm just going to pray that it stays at 20 April," she said. "I was 15 when this happened, and I'm 52 now and among the relatives I'm considered young."A lot of our family members are in their seventies and eighties and unfortunately, we lose them weekly or monthly now."The travesty in all of this that they're not seeing the justice that they've worked 37 years to see."That's what concerns us the most, that this trial will come around and we'll have lost more family members." Victoria Cummock's husband John was coming home from a business trip to Europe a day earlier than planned, to surprise his founder of the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Legacy Foundation, Mrs Cummock said: "We've lived through 36 years of delays and postponements simply because this is an international case filled with politics."Thirty six years with seven different administrations in America have really collided with the families' search for accountability and justice."It's no surprise that our mission to hold them to account is being delayed."Mrs Cummock added she was concerned that President Trump's ban on Libyan citizens travelling to the US could affect the said: "It just seems like it's a very slow journey to getting this case started." Masud's health problems Masud has been in US custody since December 2022 and has pled not guilty to the Tunisian-born Libyan is in his seventies and is understood to have diabetes and heart family in Libya has already expressed concerns over the delays to the case, saying he's an innocent new trial date was fixed after a joint motion submitted by the prosecution and the defence, both of whom raised the international nature of the evidence and witnesses.A series of crucial legal arguments will have to be resolved before the trial can go ahead, with the judge Dabney Friedrich describing the 20 April date as "tentative."Those will include the admissibility of a confession Masud is alleged to have made while in custody in 2012, following the collapse of Colonel Gaddafi's regime. Another complication is the fact that new information on the case is still emerging, almost four decades after the attack.A book published in France revealed the existence of documents said to have been retrieved from the archives of the Libyan intelligence service, of which Masud is alleged to have been a proved genuine, those documents detail his involvement in preparations for the attack on Pan Am more than 24 years since the first Lockerbie trial, when three Scottish judges convicted Libyan intelligence agent Abdulbasset al-Megrahi of playing a key role in the plot. Megrahi was jailed for life but released on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government in 2009 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died three years later at home in release infuriated many of the American relatives, which is why they have set so much store on the trial of Masud, the first suspect to face an American court over believe it will deliver the justice they were denied by the Scottish legal bombing remains the worst terror attack in British history and claimed the lives of 43 UK citizens. 'This isn't a normal criminal case' Some, but not all, of the British relatives have never accepted the verdict against Megrahi, including the Rev John Mosey, whose daughter Helga was on the plane."I think they're just waiting for people like me to pop our clogs and get out of the way," he said."I'm still pretty cynical about the whole thing. I would like to be proved wrong but I can't see it happening."As far as I'm concerned, who made the bomb and who put in on the plane are secondary as to who were the main criminals."They were the group of people who had all the warnings that this was going to happen and warned their own people but didn't warn the public."The big budget television dramas may have pushed the Lockerbie bombing back into the public eye but it's clear that there's a very long way to go before a jury delivers its verdict on Friedrich warned that if things are not done in a timely manner, there's a risk the trial could "slip" into she reminded everyone in the court: "This isn't a normal criminal case."
Edinburgh Live
05-06-2025
- Edinburgh Live
Trial of man accused of making Lockerbie bomb delayed until 2026 due to 'poor health'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The man accused of making the Lockerbie bomb has seen his trial delayed. Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi was due to go on trial last month, though it will now begin in April 2026. The case against the pensioner was postponed due to its complex nature, and his poor health, reports the Daily Record. Al-Marimi, known as Masud, has denied priming the explosive device - which brought down Pan Am flight 203 on December 21, 1988, and killed 270 people. A further 11 people in the Dumfries and Galloway town when wreckage of the Boeing 747 fell on their homes. It remains the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United Kingdom. Masud, who is in his early 70s, is described as a joint citizen of Libya and Tunisia. He has been receiving treatment for a non-life threatening medical condition. In a joint status report to the US district court for the District of Columbia last month, both parties referred to the "complex, international nature" of evidence in the case, adding that a pre-trial schedule would be "atypical". Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Lawyers also requested an early deadline for motions to "suppress the defendant's statement," presumed to be an alleged confession Masud made while in jail in Libya in 2012. The claim, which is said to be of "importance to the [US] government's case," alleges that Masud admitted working for the Libyan intelligence service and confessed to building the device which brought down the aircraft. It is also alleged he named two accomplices, Abdelbasset Al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah. Megrahi was convicted of murdering the 270 victims and died in Tripoli in 2012 after being freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, his co-accused in the trial at the Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands, was found not guilty. Scottish and US prosecutors first named Masud as a suspect in the case in 2015 following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. He was charged five years later by then-US attorney general William Barr with the destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. Masud was taken into US custody in 2022 after being removed from his home by an armed militia.
