US detains Lockerbie bombing suspect

• Abu Agila Masud is suspected of manufacturing the Lockerbie bomb.
• 270 persons died as a result of the explosion on the Boeing 747.
• Masud was reportedly seized by a militia group in Libya last month.

An American has taken custody of a Libyan man who is suspected of creating the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie 34 years ago, according to Scottish officials.

Alleging that he was instrumental in the attack on December 21, 1988, the US announced charges against Abu Agila Masud two years ago.

270 persons died as a result of the explosion on the Boeing 747.

The terrorist attack that occurred in Britain was the bloodiest one ever.

A further 11 individuals perished at Lockerbie when the wreckage of their homes demolished their dwellings, adding to the death toll from the jumbo jet’s 259 passengers and crew on board the flight from London to New York.

Masud was reportedly seized by a militia group in Libya last month, which raised the possibility that he might be turned over to American authorities so he could face justice.

According to a representative for the US Justice Department, Masud would make his initial court appearance in a federal court in Washington.

He was incarcerated in Libya five years ago for building bombs.

After a trial at a specially convened Scottish court in the Netherlands, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of bombing Pan Am 103 in 2001.

He was the only one found guilty of the assault.

Megrahi was given a life sentence, but the Scottish government released him in 2009 after learning that he had cancer.

2012 saw his passing in Libya.

Megrahi, who consistently insisted in his innocence, filed two appeals challenging the 27-year sentence. One was a failure, while the other was given up.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “The families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been told that the suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (“Mas’ud” or “Masoud”) is in US custody.

“Scottish prosecutors and police, working with UK government and US colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with Al Megrahi to justice.”

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