The trial of a Libyan man accused in the Lockerbie bombing has been postponed for the third time, with new evidence emerging just days before it was scheduled to begin.
Jury selection was set to start in Washington DC on Wednesday, but the BBC has learned that a new trial date has been fixed for January of next year. Lawyers representing Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi stated that "newly discovered evidence," previously unknown to the defense and U.S. prosecutors, surfaced on Friday, August 21st.
Al-Marimi denies constructing the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, killing all 270 people on board and 11 on the ground in Lockerbie.
His legal team informed the court that "Constitutional and ethical obligations require the defense to investigate this development." They added that they met with Al-Marimi on Sunday, and he agreed to their request for a postponement.
The trial judge, Dabney Friedrich, has accepted the postponement, acknowledging the potential significance of the new evidence. This delay means a verdict may not be reached until next spring, adding another twist to a case that has seen numerous developments over nearly four decades.
Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to New York when the bomb detonated in its forward cargo hold, causing the aircraft to break apart at 31,000 feet. All 259 passengers and crew perished, along with 11 residents of Lockerbie.
Of the victims, 190 were American and 43 were British. The bombing remains the deadliest terror attack and mass murder in British history.
'Disappointing for the families'
Al-Marimi has been in U.S. custody since December 2022. The trial was initially scheduled for May 2025 but was postponed due to the case's complexity and Al-Marimi's health. It was later moved to April of this year but was again called off at the defense's request for more preparation time.
The Lockerbie bombing has been the subject of a joint Scottish-U.S. investigation since December 1988. Prosecutors from the Crown Office and detectives from Police Scotland were expected to attend the trial, with Scottish witnesses slated to be among the first to testify.
Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, commented: "I recognize that this adjournment will be disappointing for the families and for those who have followed this case over many years. As the matter remains before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for the adjournment. Although these proceedings are being led by the United States authorities, Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain fully committed to supporting the pursuit of justice."
Al-Marimi, a grandfather in his 70s, is accused of carrying out the attack alongside two other Libyans who faced a Scottish court in May 2000. In that trial, held at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands, one Libyan, Abdulbasset Al-Megrahi, was convicted of mass murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in 2012 after being released on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government. The second Libyan, Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, was acquitted.
The U.S. government asserts that Al-Marimi confessed to bombing the plane with Megrahi and Fhimah during questioning in a Libyan detention facility in 2012. This alleged confession was provided to Scottish investigators in 2017 and is a key piece of evidence in the prosecution's case. Al-Marimi claims the confession was false and made under duress, but Judge Friedrich ruled it admissible.
