A U.S. judge has postponed the trial of Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988. The delay was requested by both the prosecution and defense, citing case complexity. The admissibility of Masud’s alleged confession in Libya is a key pre-trial issue.
A United States judge has consented to postpone the trial of Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan identified as Masud, who is accused of constructing the bomb that caused the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie. Originally scheduled to commence on May 12 in Washington, the trial has been deferred at the request of both the prosecution and defense, with no new date set as discussions continue.
Masud vehemently denies his involvement in the bombing incident, which on December 21, 1988, resulted in the tragic loss of 259 passengers and crew members, as well as the deaths of 11 residents in Lockerbie when wreckage fell upon their homes. The accused, in his early 70s, holds dual citizenship in Libya and Tunisia and is currently undergoing treatment for a non-life-threatening medical condition.
Prosecutors indicated the complexity of the case necessitated additional time to prepare for pre-trial hearings, taking into account “voluminous discovery, including evidence located in other countries”. The defense acknowledged the need to determine the most effective strategy for Masud’s defense.
U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich has agreed to delay the trial’s start date, with a status conference scheduled for next month to discuss case developments. Masud’s identification as a suspect arose in 2015, following the fall of the Gaddafi regime, and five years later, U.S. authorities charged him with the destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. He was taken into custody in 2022 after an armed militia removed him from his home in Tripoli.
Central to the pre-trial process will be the potential admissibility of a confession allegedly made by Masud during his incarceration in Libya in 2012. The FBI claims Masud confessed to working for Libyan intelligence and admitted to constructing the bomb, naming two Libyan accomplices, one of whom, Abdelbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted of the murder of 270 individuals in a previous trial. The other, Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, was acquitted. Megrahi passed away in 2012 after being released on compassionate grounds by Scottish authorities.
The trial of Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi concerning the Lockerbie bombing has been delayed, allowing both sides more time due to the case’s complexity and the need for extensive pre-trial preparation. The admissibility of his alleged confession remains a significant issue, while discussions on the trial’s scheduling continue amidst ongoing legal proceedings surrounding this historic tragedy.
Original Source: www.bbc.co.uk
