Forty minutes into the flight, the plane had reached the coast of Scotland. [20] A British Airways pilot, flying the LondonGlasgow shuttle near Carlisle, called Scottish authorities to report that he could see a huge fire on the ground. Thats the most important thing you can do. Asked if Libya did not accept guilt, he said, "I agree with that." The Scottish Government had already rejected an independent inquiry, saying it lacks the constitutional power to examine the international dimensions of the case.[121]. "[20]:16, All 243 passengers and 16 crew members were killed, as were 11 residents of Lockerbie on the ground. With a total of 270 fatalities, it is the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United Kingdom, as well as its deadliest aviation disaster.[2]. [105], The motive that is generally attributed to Libya can be traced back to a series of military confrontations with the US Navy that took place in the 1980s in the Gulf of Sidra, the whole of which Libya claimed as its territorial waters. The Lockerbie bombing: What you need to know | Reuters Theres no other place we feel as connected to him as on the farm. Thirty-five of the passengers were students from Syracuse University, who participated in the university's Division of International Programs Abroad (abbreviated as "DIPA Program" and renamed to "Syracuse University Abroad" in 2006, while also known as "Syracuse Abroad" and "Study Abroad Program") and were returning home for Christmas following a semester in Syracuse's London and European campuses. It was just a case of moving on then, but in years since it was something that bothered me. Bryony was travelling to the United States with her mother Yvonne Owen from Wales, to spend Christmas in Boston. On Wednesday 21 December, 1988, just after 7pm, Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York exploded above the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people on the . . The attack on Pan Am flight 103 killed 270 people, including 190 Americans. The family of Frank Ciulla, one of 259 flight passengers who died when Pan-Am flight 103 was bombed, has spoken of the friendship they've built with the family that found him. And He Wants to Take Libya Back", "African Manipulations: Tainted Evidence of Libyan Terrorism", "Oliver "Buck" Revell speaks for International Speakers Bureau", "Libya offers $2.7billion Pan Am 103 settlement", "Security Council lifts sanctions imposed on Libya after terrorist bombings of Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772", "Lockerbie lawyer says 200m fee is 'good value', Saif al-Gaddafi says "Libyans are innocent" of the Pan Am Flight 103 and UTA Flight 772 bombings, "Gaddafi's son attacks "greedy" Lockerbie relatives in BBC Two documentary", "Khadafy ordered Lockerbie bombing, says Libyan minister", "The Influence Game: Lobbyists who aided families of Pan Am bombing victims earn $2million fee", The night fire and victims rained on Lockerbie, "Cornell professorship funded by $3.8 million Libyan payment for student killed in Lockerbie bombing", "The Women of Lockerbie Deborah Brevoort", "Google Streetview Sherwood Crescent Memorial", "Lockerbie disaster Pan am flight 103 remains lie forgotten in a Lincolnshire scrapyard", "Authentic Pan Am 103 cockpit wreck photo", "Lockerbie wreckage parts returned to Scotland", The Scottish indictment against Megrahi and Fhimah, The U.S. indictment against Megrahi and Fhimah, "No:2/9 Boeing 747-121, N739PA, at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland", Graphic of how the aircraft was destroyed, United Nations Security Council Resolution 731 (1992), United Nations Security Council Resolution 748 (1992), United Nations Security Council Resolution 883 (1993), "Lessons from Lockerbie, ten years later", "Lockerbie, 10 years on: Reporter's reflections", "Libya offers $2.7billion Lockerbie settlement", "Scottish Court in the Netherlands 20002002", Pan Am 103 Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives, Aircraft Accident Report 2/1990 Report on the accident to Boeing 747-121, N739PA, at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, Scotland on 21 December 1988, 2/1990 Aircraft Accident Report 2/1990, Appendices AG, Defense Intelligence Agency Redacted Pan Am Report, "It Happened in Lockerbie 20 August 09 Part 1", International observer mission of the president of the International Progress Organization, Dr. Hans Koechler, at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands ("Lockerbie Court"), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pan_Am_Flight_103&oldid=1141600700, A male caller claimed that a group called the "Guardians of the Islamic Revolution" had destroyed the plane in retaliation for. He met the families, and the compassion shown to them by the Scottish police made a deep impression on him. [73] Kchler also issued a series of statements in 2003, 2005, and 2007 calling for an independent international inquiry into the case and accusing the West of "double standards in criminal justice" in relation to the Lockerbie trial on the one hand and the HIV trial in Libya on the other. Air Crash Investigation - Black Box Sky Crimes, PSA Flight 1771, FedEx Flight 705 , Pan Am Flight. However, he says, although there may be bias against older entrepreneurs, his experience is a benefit, not a . [3] On 22 February 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, former Minister of Justice Mustafa Abdul Jalil stated in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Expressen that Gaddafi had personally ordered the bombing. In 1991, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was the assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice, and he was in charge of the Lockerbie investigation. Although it is sadly symbolic that the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 occurred on that day, it is perhaps more meaningful to consider that the responses to the tragedythe kindnesses shown, the friendships made, the positive changes to aviation security, and law enforcements care for victimscontinue to cast a very bright light into the world all these years later. "[96] Megrahi died of prostate cancer in Libya on 20 May 2012. Then-Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafi denied any culpability for the attack. This was backed up by a delegation of Lockerbie relatives, led by Pamela Dix, who went to 10 Downing Street on 24 October 2009 and handed over a letter addressed to Gordon Brown calling for a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the need for a public inquiry and the main issues that it should address. The US State Department maintained that it was not directly involved. All 259 on board die, and 11 on ground. [80], A procedural hearing at the Appeal Court took place on 11 October 2007 when prosecution lawyers and Megrahi's defence counsel, Maggie Scott QC, discussed a number of legal issues with a panel of three judges. For the families of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie and its residents will forever hold a place in their hearts. Remembrance Week 2022 Begins on Sunday | Syracuse University News [168], The bombing of Flight 103 has been depicted in many documentaries, such as Air Crash Investigation and the BBC. Their brother Frank decided his children, both under 10, were too young. Pan Am 103 originated as a feeder flight at Frankfurt Airport, West Germany, using a Boeing 727 and the flight number PA103-A. [42], The anonymous warning was taken seriously by the US government and the State Department cabled the bulletin to dozens of embassies. Subsequent analysis of the radar returns by RSRE concluded that the aircraft was tracking 321 (grid) and travelling at a ground speed of 803km/h (499mph; 434kn). As many as 25 homes were destroyed. Fhimah was acquitted. [1] Large sections of the aircraft crashed in a residential street in Lockerbie, killing 11 residents. Volunteers like the laundry ladies were just people who wanted to do the wee bit, to put something back in, and I think we can never lose sight of that, that human kindness. Suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is in custody at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center, is seen in this December photograph. This date is in doubt, as Gauci had testified that Malta's Christmas lights had not been on when the clothes had been purchased; the lights were later found to have been switched on on 6 December. In fact, many have vowed never to forget, to make sure the lessons of Lockerbie are not lost on future generations. "[118], On 24 August 2009, Lockerbie campaigner Dr Jim Swire wrote to Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, calling for a full inquiry, including the question of suppression of the Heathrow evidence. Megrahi 'hero's welcome' triggers a diplomatic row, "Brown, BP Cleared of Lobbying Scots to Free Bomber", Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is 'in coma', "Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi dies in Tripoli", "The U.S. has taken custody of the alleged bomb maker in the 1988 Lockerbie attack", "U.S. Unseals Charges Against New Suspect in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing, and who is Mas'ud? Everybody wanted to do something to help.. The trigger for the explosion was an MST-13 timer of the single solder mask variety. 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[143] US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, called the move a "laudable milestone clearing the way for a continued and expanding US-Libyan partnership. [34] A group of US intelligence specialists was on board the flight. It was a place where family members were shielded from the inquiring media and where U.S. and Scottish personnelsome police investigators who had worked on the case years beforeacted as family liaison officers, providing support from the moment family members walked in the door.. 25 of 35 students were from Syracuse.". We anticipate that, as often happens, many groups will seek to claim credit. Anything recovered was meticulously cataloged. The plane had reached a height of approximately 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and was preparing for the oceanic portion of the flight when a timer-activated bomb detonated. In 2008, the UK government "decided to 'do all it could' to help the Libyans get Al-Megrahi home and explained the legal procedure for compassionate release to the Libyans."[94]. [99][100], According to The New York Times, Mas'ud was born in Tunisia in 1951, before he became a citizen of Libya as a child after he moved to Tripoli, Libya. [54] The Iranian foreign ministry swiftly denied any involvement. Suspected bomb-maker arrested in Lockerbie attack that killed 270 On Dec. 21, 1988, a bomb went off on a Pan Am passenger plane flying over Lockerbie, Scotland, causing a midair explosion that sent the aircraft crashing down. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Some of the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 after it crashed onto the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. Laurie says: Wed talked about the trip for a long time but mum has suffered some health problems so we wanted to wait until she was well. A bomb aboard the plane detonated over the Scottish town of Lockerbie . June Wilson died last year. Fragments of a Samsonite suitcase believed to have contained the bomb were recovered, together with parts and pieces of circuit board identified as components of a Toshiba 'Bombeat' RT-SF16, radio cassette player, similar to that used to conceal a Semtex bomb seized by West German police from the Palestinian militant group PLO-GC two months earlier. BBC News | UK | Lockerbie pair 'could have survived' The day of the verdict was January 31, 2001. Documania. Scores of bodies fell on a golf course near Mount Tilla . Laurie, 49, says: Mum called Hugh and Margaret. "35 scholarships honor Lockerbie crash victims". [132], Jim Kreindler of the New York law firm Kreindler & Kreindler, which orchestrated the settlement, said: "These are uncharted waters. We cannot say that it is impossible that the clothing might have been taken from Malta, united somewhere with a timer from some source other than Libya and introduced into the airline baggage system at Frankfurt or Heathrow. Oliver Revell, the FBI's Executive Assistant Director, was assigned to advise and assist PCAST in their task.[130]. Although the students remained silent during the ceremony, many cried and hugged one another as the 35 minutes concluded. We knew there was a very serious incident there., Pan Am Flight 103 was flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, when a terrorist bomb exploded on board. [50] Jalil claimed to possess "documents that prove [his allegations] and [that he is] ready to hand them over to the international criminal court. Its nice to come here, she explained. In total, 4 million pieces of wreckage were collected and registered on computer files. . Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the British Department for Transport concluded that the nose of the aircraft was blown off and separated from the main fuselage within three seconds of the explosion. During the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, former Minister of Justice Mustafa Abdul Jalil claimed that the Libyan leader had personally ordered the bombing,[3] while investigators have long believed that Megrahi did not act alone, and have been reported as questioning retired Stasi agents about a possible role in the attack. Lockerbie victim's grandkids' friendship with farmers who found his [119] An op-ed article by Pamela Dix, subtitled "The families of those killed in the bombing have not given up hope of an inquiry to help us learn the lessons of this tragedy", was published in The Guardian on 26 October 2009. The Lockerbie bombing, as it came to be known, took 270 lives that evening of Dec. 21, 1988, killing everyone aboard along with 11 residents in the small Scottish town. There was a great roaring noise and flames coming out of a great big hole in the ground and dense, dense smoke. Five years later, on December 21, 2020,US Attorney General William Barr announced criminal charges against former Libyan intelligence officer Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi in relation to the Lockerbie attack. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my career, Turman said. Bissett. [citation needed] The bombing is also compared with the death of actor Brandon Lee on the track Gold off of hip-hop artist GZAs 1995 album Liquid Swords, in the lyric, "Snake got smoked on the set like Brandon Lee, blown out the frame like Pan Am Flight 103. Pan Am Bombing : Unraveling the Mystery of Flight 103 In December 1988, Franks family were wracked by grief as it became clear he had perished along with 258 other passengers and crew in the explosion on his way home to the US for Christmas on the night of the 21st. Back then, these wreckage-littered fields six miles outside the Scottish town bore witness to the horrifying bombing of Pan-Am flight 103 in the skies above. The Rev John Mosey, who lost his teenage daughter Helga, says: I could hear little clicks and clunks when on the phone and Lockerbie documents disappeared from my computer. The Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie. The CIA and FBI said the suspects, employed by Libyan Arab Airlines in Malta, were also Libyan intelligence agents. And its still happening.. It was such an extreme, intense moment.". On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. It said activities of victims relatives would need careful watching. [69], The Lockerbie judgment stated: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, From the evidence which we have discussed so far, we are satisfied that it has been proved that the primary suitcase containing the explosive device was dispatched from Malta, passed through Frankfurt, and was loaded onto PA103 at Heathrow. This mother tragically lost her son in the bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103. Bollier wanted to pursue this discrepancy, but was told by trial judge Lord Sutherland that he could not do so. Lockerbie bombing: 'What really brought it home was when you were He would later lead a team of investigators that followed the evidence to Malta. Frank Granito of Speiser Krause noted that "the rewards in the US are more substantial than anywhere else in the world but nobody has questioned the fee whilst the work has been going on, it is only now as we approach a resolution when the criticism comes your way. We very much had a tradition where the court building was sacrosanct, McCulloch said. Lockerbie - BBC News Within days of the bombing, and for years after, family members of victims from the United States and other countries made their way to Lockerbie. Mothers and fathers, grandparents, children as young as 2 months old, and college students returning home from a study abroad program lost their lives in what was the largest terrorist attack in American history until 9/11. I remember families saying they were in these vans with Scottish police officers driving 100 miles an hour down the autobahn trying to get them to the court, Turman said. Pan Am Flight 103 - Wikipedia On scope, the aircraft showed transponder code, or "squawk", 0357 and flight level 310. [112], In turn, the US encouraged the Chadian National Armed Forces (FANT) and it also aided them by supplying them with satellite intelligence during the Battle of Maaten al-Sarra. A total of 270 people were killed when a bomb ripped apart Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. [123], Quotes: "[Jalil] told Expressen Khadafy [sic] gave the order to Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground on 21 December 1988. December 21, 1988: Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit via London blows up. In all, 270 souls perished. [Oliver_ FBI's Oliver "Buck" Revell served as Advisor to PCAST]. When, however, the evidence regarding the clothing, the purchaser, and the timer is taken with the evidence that an unaccompanied bag was taken from KM180 to PA103A, the inference that that was the primary suitcase becomes, in our view, irresistible. Steven was laid to rest with his brother and sister in a Lockerbie graveyard. He was released from prison on compassionate grounds on 20 August 2009. "Lockerbie pair 'could have survived', This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:49. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He told The Herald of 29 June 2007: "No officials to be blamed, simply a Maltese shopkeeper. Each year, the university names 35 Remembrance Scholars, one for every student who died. January 2001: Al-Megrahi gets life. Pan Am flight 103 | Overview, Crash, Victims, & Facts Their bodies were never found. Alan Dron. "The mystery if that's what you want to call it was laid to rest.". Ten of these students were from other universities and colleges (including but not limited to Colgate University and University of Colorado) with collaborative relationships with Syracuse.