President Trump has been urged by a top Scottish lawyer to declassify secret files on the Lockerbie terror attack. Professor Peter Watson, who served as an advocate for the UK victims, said the families are entitled to know the full truth of what happened.
The late Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, who was a Libyan national, is the only person convicted over the murder of 270 people when PanAm flight 103 exploded over Dumfries and Galloway in 1988.
All 259 passengers and crew travelling to the US and 11 people on the ground were killed in Britain’s deadliest terrorist attack. A Tunisian-born Libyan citizen, Abu Agila Mas’ud, has been accused of making the bomb and is scheduled to stand trial in the US.
Watson, who was the secretary of the Lockerbie Disaster Group, has asked for classified intelligence documents to finally be released: “Nearly four decades later, as new trials and investigations continue, the pursuit of truth and justice for the victims and their families endures.”
He continued: “The families of the victims are entitled to know as much as possible about what happened on the night of the bombing, and we know there are documents held by the US and UK intelligence services that fill the vacuum of understanding that remains today. We have seen a move from President Trump to declassify a number of federal secrets, and we believe Lockerbie should be next. The families have waited far too long. They deserve transparency, truth and answers.”
In a letter to Matthew Palmer, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy to the UK, he wrote: “I am aware that under the new administration, President Trump has agreed to review classified files and assess whether certain information should, in specific instances, be declassified and made publicly available.
“Given its historical and legal implications, there is a continued pursuit of clarity and a comprehensive understanding of the events leading up to and surrounding this tragic incident. In this regard, I would like to inquire whether consideration is being given to reviewing and potentially releasing files held by specialist agencies in the United States related to the Lockerbie tragedy.
“Such a step could provide invaluable insight to those directly affected by this disaster, as well as to the wider legal and academic communities seeking to fully comprehend the circumstances that led to this act of terrorism.”
The request comes after President Trump called for the release of classified files relating to the assassinations of JFK, RFK and Martin Luther King Jr, as well as information regarding the September 11 terrorist attacks.
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