Law chief welcomes trial date for Lockerbie bomb suspect on 35th anniversary

Scotland’s most senior lawyer has welcomed the fixing of a trial date for the man suspected of building the bomb which brought down a plane over Lockerbie as she paid tribute to the victims.

Libyan Abu Agila Masud, 72, is to go on trial in the US on May 12, 2025 facing three charges which he denies.

He is alleged to have helped make the bomb which killed all 259 passengers and crew on board the jumbo jet bound to New York from London 35 years ago on December 21, 1988.

Another 11 people were killed in Lockerbie when wreckage destroyed their homes in what remains Britain’s deadliest terrorist attack.

Masud faces three charges, including two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death and a further count of destruction of a vehicle resulting in death.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said: “The court in Washington DC has now fixed a date of May 12 2025 for the Masud trial. I welcome this development and am encouraged with the progress in the court process.

“Scottish and US authorities have worked together since 1988 to bring those responsible for this atrocity to justice.

“That work continues as a dedicated team of Scottish prosecutors and officers from Police Scotland support the US Department of Justice and the FBI in this prosecution.”

Speaking ahead of attending a memorial in the US, she said: “For 35 years now the families of the 270 people murdered on the night of December 21 1988 have borne their losses with huge dignity and my thoughts are with them.

“I am honoured to have been invited to attend a memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States and to be able to meet with so many of the families and understand how those that are gone are loved and remembered.”

Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is so far the only man convicted in relation to the bombing after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges, sitting at a special court in the Hague in 2001.

He was sent to prison in Scotland but was controversially granted compassionate release in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, returning home to Libya where he died in 2012.

Laura Buchan, head of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Lockerbie investigation team, said: “The court at Camp Zeist which convicted Megrahi held that this act of terrorism was orchestrated by the Libyan government and that other individuals were involved.

“While people of interest are still alive and there is evidence that can continue to be gathered, this investigation will not stop. We have a duty to fully investigate this crime on behalf of every person who was impacted by the events of that dreadful night.

“As can be seen from our joint work in resolving ‘cold case’ murders, the passing of time is no protection for those who seek to evade justice.”

Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham is also attending the memorial service in Washington, which he said is a “great honour”.

“My thoughts today remain with everyone affected by the bombing of Pan Am 103 and the terrible loss of 270 lives. They will never be forgotten,” he said.

“The impact of this horrific crime continues to have a profound effect in Lockerbie, across Scotland and internationally as we mark the 35th anniversary.

“We continue working closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and in the US with colleagues from the FBI and the Department of Justice, on both the investigation and supporting the ongoing prosecution in the US courts.

“Time is no barrier to justice and Police Scotland remains committed to bringing those responsible for this atrocity to justice.”