A section of the American airliner involved in the Lockerbie bombing will be used as evidence during the trial of a Libyan suspect.
The segment of the wreckage will be transported to the US ahead of the trial against Abu Agila Masud in Washington DC in May. Masud has been accused of making the bomb which destroyed the plane on December 21, 1988.
Relatives of the 270 victims have been informed of the latest development on the approach to the 36th anniversary of the terrorist attack. The process is part of a formal evidence sharings agreement between Scottish law enforcement authorities and American counterparts.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted in 2001 of the murders of all 259 passengers and crew on board and 11 people in Lockerbie who died when the aircraft crashed onto their homes. It has always been the Crown’s contention that Megrahi acted with others in the commission of his crime.
The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, said: “The trial court held that this act of state-sponsored terrorism was orchestrated by the Libyan government and that Megrahi was involved with others. That verdict has been subject of intense scrutiny and has been upheld twice in the appeal court.
“The transfer of evidence for the trial in the US is a strong expression of the commitment that Scottish prosecutors and officers of Police Scotland have to bringing all those responsible for this terrible act to justice.”
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “My thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in 1988 and who continue to show incredible dignity and strength. Police Scotland remains committed to working with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and our law enforcement colleagues in the United States to support the investigation and bring those responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 to justice, no matter the passage of time.”
Laura Buchan, who is head of a team of prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service working on the case, said: “Since Mas’ud was taken into custody by the US in 2022, Scottish prosecutors and police have been engaged in a formal evidence sharing process with the US Department of Justice.
“The transfer of physical items of evidence from Scotland into US custody is beginning. The transfer includes parts of the fuselage of Pan Am 103 which are a production in the criminal investigation. We understand that the fuselage will hold significance for many of the families of those who lost their lives and they have been informed of the transfer plans.”
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