Hugh said he was still strapped in his seat and had his sleeves rolled up. One of the newly released documents is a letter from the Foreign Office in 1989. November 2016. Airlines bent over backwards to book people on overnight flights. He became a senior investigating officer on the case and was the person who arrested al-Megrahi and Fhimah. As they do every year on the anniversary of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, family members, along with investigators, prosecutors, and officials from Scotland, the FBI, and the Department of Justice, mark the occasion at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Dr Jim Swire, 82, whose daughter Flora died in the bombing, said: We deserve to know who murdered our loved ones and why it was not prevented.. There was a great roaring noise and flames coming out of a great big hole in the ground and dense, dense smoke. [93], Allegations have been made that the UK government and BP sought Al-Megrahi's release as part of a trade deal with Libya. [150], In 1992, a US federal court found Pan Am guilty of willful misconduct due to lax security screening caused by not implementing baggage reconciliation, a new security program mandated by the FAA prior to the incident, which requires unaccompanied luggage to be searched by hand and to ensure passengers board flights onto which they have checked baggage; Pan Am relied more on the less-effective method of x-ray screening. I want you to be able to do for victims, particularly terrorism victims, what you did with Pan Am 103, Turman recalled. [1/5] A December 23, 1988 file photo shows Scottish rescue workers and crash investigators search the area around the cockpit of Pan Am flight 103 in a farmer's field east of Lockerbie, Scotland . We have had contact with a lot of different people in the FBI over the years, said the groups president, Kara Weipz, and they have become almost like family members. Also aboard was Irish Olympic sailor Peter Dix[29] and rock musician Paul Jeffreys and his wife. We wanted to do justice by these families.. Suspected bomb-maker arrested in Lockerbie attack that killed 270 [19] One of the Frankfurt security screeners, whose job was to spot explosive devices under X-ray, told ABC News that she had first learned what Semtex (a plastic explosive) was during her ABC interview 11 months after the bombing. The defence team had 14 days in which to appeal against Megrahi's conviction, and an additional six weeks to submit the full grounds of the appeal. Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:49, terrorist attack in the history of the United Kingdom, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (General Command), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Directorate-General for External Security, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command, Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, President of the United Nations General Assembly, List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft, 1933 United Airlines Boeing 247 mid-air explosion, "Clipper Maid of the Seas: Remembering those on flight 103", "Colonel Gaddafi 'ordered Lockerbie bombing", "Libya ready to accept responsibility for Lockerbie bombing", "Lockerbie investigators 'question former Stasi agents', "US unveils new charges against the suspect in 1988 Lockerbie bombing", "Lockerbie bombing suspect in US custody", "Photo: N739PA (CN: 19646) Boeing 747-121 by Jon Proctor Photoid:5894156 - JetPhotos.Net", "Pan Am Jet Crashes in Scotland, Killing at Least 273", "Diamonds in the Sky EP04 Aviation travel industry history series Conquering the Atlantic", "Court told how jet's radar blip broke up at 7.02pm", "UK | Lockerbie pair 'could have survived', "PaulJeffreys.com: website in the memory of Paul Jeffreys", "Honoring DS Fallen: Ronald Albert Lariviere", "EverythingPanAm.com The Virtual Pan Am Museum", "Lockerbie and the worst Christmas imaginable", "Pan Am Flight 103's Victims: A list of Those Killed 25 Years Ago", "Lockerbie: The town scarred by Pan Am flight 103", "Report of the President's Commission on Aviation Safety and Terrorism", "Muammar Gaddafi ordered Lockerbie bombing, says Libyan minister", "Khadaffi gav order om Lockerbie-attentatet [Gaddafi ordered the Lockerbie bombing]", "Libya rebel leader: I have evidence Gaddafi ordered Lockerbie", Gareth Pierce,24 September 2009, London Review of Books, "Secret CIA testimony identifies real Lockerbie mastermind", "Iran denies new Lockerbie bombing claims | SBS News", "US paid reward to Lockerbie witness, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi papers claim", "Scottish Panel Challenges Lockerbie Conviction", Report on Identification Procedures: Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi v. H.M. Advocate, "FBI offered me $4m: Lockerbie bomb witness", SCCRC Referral of Megrahi case for 2nd appeal, "Two new Lockerbie bombing suspects identified BBC News", "New Charges in Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing", "Lockerbie bombing suspect is now in US custody, Scottish authorities say", "Verdict of the Scottish Court in the Netherlands, 31 January 2001 from the official transcript", "Dr Hans Kchler's statement, August 2003", "Dr Hans Kchler's statement, October 2005", "Double standards in criminal justice: Pan Am Flight 103 v. HIV trial in Libya", "SCCRC refers Megrahi's case for second appeal", "SCCRC decides "a miscarriage of justice may have occurred", "Statement by Dr Hans Kchler on SCCRC decision, 29 June 2007", Lockerbie trial: an intelligence operation? [82] Maggie Scott also asked for documents relating to an alleged payment of $2million made to Maltese merchant, Tony Gauci, for his testimony at the trial, which led to the conviction of Megrahi. Bryony Owen and her mum Yvonne both died in the bombing, Colin Dorrance pictured now and during his earlier days in the force. Falling wreckage destroyed 21 houses and killed an additional 11 people on the ground. [3] Acceptance of responsibility was part of a series of requirements laid out by a UN resolution for sanctions against Libya to be lifted. [5], In 2020, US authorities indicted the Tunisia resident and Libyan national Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, who was 37 years old at the time of the incident[6] for participating in the bombing, and in December 2022, they obtained custody of him. In photos: The 1988 Lockerbie plane bombing attack The couple then kept watch over him for 24 hours and even asked rescue teams if they could take him into their home, away from the biting cold. Stobbs immediately made his way to Lockerbie and then to Sherwood Crescent. May 2018: Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission probes Megrahis conviction. It will always, in my view, outshine any terrorist act., Katie Berrell is a senior at Syracuse University, about the same age as her uncle, Steven Berrell, when he was killed on Pan Am Flight 103. The Boeing 747, known as the Clipper Maid of the Seas, left London Heathrow with 243 passengers and 16 crew members, including 189 Americans. All 259 people on board were killed, and 11 individuals on the ground also died. "Fate just fell into place," Colin said. That evidence, which was not heard at the trial, showed that at some time in the two hours before 00:35 on 21 December 1988, a padlock had been forced on a secure door giving access air side in Terminal 3 of Heathrow airport, near to the area referred to at the trial as the "baggage build-up area". When the disaster occurred, Bells Glasgow desk contained files of all the cases he was working on. [85] The second appeal began on 28 April 2009, lasted for one month and was adjourned in May 2009. Two hundred and fifty-nine people on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 were killed, along with 11 people on the ground. 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. Victoria Cummock's husband was among the 259 passengers who died after a bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 on Dec. 21, 1988, just north of the England-Scotland border. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was . The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The US State Department maintained that it was not directly involved. [20]:44 The fuselage consisting of the main wing box structure landed in Sherwood Crescent, destroying three homes and creating a large impact crater. On 26 August 2011, it was announced that the whereabouts of Al-Megrahi were unknown due to the social upheaval in Libya and that he had not been in contact for some time. Bollier wanted to pursue this discrepancy, but was told by trial judge Lord Sutherland that he could not do so. A Lockerbie disaster victims grandchildren gaze reflectively across the quiet land where their granddad died in Britains worst terrorist attack 30 years ago. A last treasured picture of Laurie Ciulla and her father Frank, who died in the Lockerbie disaster, Five of Frank's grandchildren at the fields where he was found, The grandchildren say they feel connected to Frank when they visit the place he was found, Farmer Hugh Connell discovered Frank six miles from Lockerbie still strapped to his seat, Police guard the wreckage of the Lockerbie Bombing in 1988, Jim Swire and John Mosey say they will fight for justice. Lockerbie victim's grandkids' friendship with farmers who found his Inside the chapel at Dryfesdale there is a book of remembrance. All 259 people on board were killed, as well as 11 people in the town of . All 259 people on board were killed . "[20]:16, All 243 passengers and 16 crew members were killed, as were 11 residents of Lockerbie on the ground. The 259 people on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 are killed, along with . [147], In an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen on 23 February 2011, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, former Justice Secretary of Libya, claimed to have evidence that Gaddafi personally ordered Al-Megrahi to carry out the bombing. Fhimah is cleared. Syracuse University Remembrance Scholars took their seats on the Quad at noon for 35 minutes, honoring the 35 students killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. More than 10,000 pieces of debris were retrieved, tagged, and entered into a computer tracking system. There were a lot of things we looked at with Pan Am 103 that formed the basis for where we went with the Victim Assistance Program in the Bureau., The Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. group was formed in 1989, shortly after the bombing. "It was the body of a child he'd found in a field at the back of his farm," he said. Five weeks before this warning, Jibril's right-hand man, Haffez Dalkamoni, had been arrested in Frankfurt with a known bomb-maker, Marwen Khreesat. The rear fuselage of the plane, where many of them sat, destroyed one of the houses of Rosebank Crescent, 71 Park Place, the home of Lockerbie resident Ella Ramsden, who survived. Lockerbie bombing suspect to make first court appearance on Monday in Washington. The lifeless bodies of Pan Am Flight 103's crew and more than a dozen first class passengers lay almost intact amid the devastation of the downed plane. "[52] A deep-cover CIA agent was told by up to 15 high-level Syrian officials that the PFLP-GC was involved and that officials interacted with Jibril "on a constant basis". Ruined houses in the town of Lockerbie after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York in 1988. In Lockerbie Town Hall Council Chambers, there is a stained-glass window depicting flags of the 21 countries whose citizens lost their lives in the disaster. Megrahi was ultimately found guilty and jailed for a minimum of 27 years. On Dec. 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, en route from London's Heathrow Airport to New York, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 people on the ground. the Lockerbie bombing killed . What are the grounds for compassionate leave from prison? [50] Jalil claimed to possess "documents that prove [his allegations] and [that he is] ready to hand them over to the international criminal court. Working through the quiet overnight, said Galloway, who is near retirement after a 30-year career in law enforcement, you get a lot of time to thinkjust to see the peoples lives you were looking at, the clothing, the suitcases that used to belong to someone., And while one should never forget that the bombing was caused by an act of terror, you can also see the goodness in the people who have to react, Galloway added. During Remembrance Week, all the scholars speak for the victims during a rose-laying ceremony at a memorial in the center of campus. The emotional impact of handling all those personal itemsa 2-year-olds dress, wrapped Christmas presents, a pilots uniformis an experience that has stayed with them. It looked as though they were asleep, it wasn't obviously injured, and it was just a shock to realise it was a passenger from Pan Am 103. [57] An official report, providing information not made available to the defence during the original trial, stated that on 19 April 1999, four days before identifying al-Megrahi for the first time, Gauci had seen a picture of al-Megrahi in a magazine that connected him to the bombing, a fact that could have distorted his judgement. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It is the first time that any of the states designated as sponsors of terrorism have offered compensation to families of terror victims." 1 The disputed territory of Western Sahara is mostly occupied and administered by Morocco; the Polisario Front claims the territory in militating for the establishment an independ Then-Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafi denied any culpability for the attack. on whose farm outside Lockerbie bodies and wreckage rained down 34 years ago. The night of the disaster, Smith was at home with his father in Sherwood Crescent, settled in for what was supposed to be a quiet evening. 363 Lockerbie Plane Crash Premium High Res Photos After being released, Megrahi returned to Libya and received a jubilant welcome. The Lockerbie bombing: What you need to know | Reuters One theory suggests the bomb on the plane was detonated by radio. Did you encounter any technical issues? The bodies of Captain MacQuarrie, his copilot and the flight engineer were found still strapped into their seats. Look back at the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing Concluding his extensive reply dated 27 October 2009 to the Prime Minister, Dr Swire said: You have now received a much more comprehensive letter requesting a full inquiry from our group 'UK Families-Flight 103'. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Pan Am Flight 103 - The New York Times On the ground in Lockerbie, it was early evening. [34] A group of US intelligence specialists was on board the flight. The other 259 people aboard the aircraft died when the bomb blew apart the jetliner Dec. 21, 1988 or were killed by the 30,000-foot fall . This summer, Laurie took her husband Noel Plasker, 51, and children Chloe, 21, Ethan, 19 and 15-year-old Leo to meet the Connells, now both in their 70s, while sister Michelle Lipkin took her husband Jeremy and children Jude, 16, and 14-year-old Simone. Two alerts were released shortly before the bombing. Authorities accused Libyan nationals Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah of manufacturing the bomb, which they said was made out of Semtex plastic explosives, concealed in a Toshiba cassette recorder, hidden in a Samsonite suitcase and slipped into an Air Malta flight headed from Malta to Frankfurt, Germany. The wreckage from Pan Am Flight 103 that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland December 21, 1988. And ever since, they have tenderly called him Our Boy. "[51], In December 2013, the original prime suspects in the bombing were revealed to have been the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC), a Syria-based group led by Ahmed Jibril. It offered us some comfort to know my fathers body had been looked after, to hope that he had lost consciousness and that his experience of what happened to him was minimal. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. When the fuel-laden wings and a section of the main body . And Government files kept secret until now reveal that security service agents thought the families were getting organised and needed careful watching. Over three years, investigators from the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries questioned more than 15,000 people in more than 30 countries and collected thousands of pieces of evidence. Megrahi is seen below a portrait of Gadhafi at Tripoli Medical Center in Libya. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Eleven residents were killed instantly. [139] Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro on 7 December 2007, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said that the seven Libyans convicted for the Pan Am Flight 103 and the UTA Flight 772 bombings "are innocent". At the time he was in custody in Libya. [168], The bombing of Flight 103 has been depicted in many documentaries, such as Air Crash Investigation and the BBC. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [137], A civil action against Libya continued until 18 February 2005 on behalf of Pan Am and its insurers, which went bankrupt partly as a result of the attack. A sleeper cell belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (General Command) had been operating in West Germany in the months before the Pan Am bombing. Now retired, the 48-year-old is one of five men representing the emergency services who are taking part in a transatlantic fundraising bike ride to mark the 30th anniversary. Asked if Libya did not accept guilt, he said, "I agree with that." A stained glass window in Lockerbies Town Hall represents the 270 victims of Pan Am Flight 103 and the 21 countries they came from. The New York-bound Boeing 747, named Maid of the Seas, was passing five miles above the . The Connells had even asked to take dad in to the warm but were told they couldnt because evidence was still being collected. The ceremony also honors 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died in 2002. Their son witnessed a fireball engulfing his home from a neighbour's garage, where he had been repairing his sister's bicycle. Hugh mentioned Dads dark hair and asked whether his children had it too. The Lockerbie bombing took place on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky. We very much had a tradition where the court building was sacrosanct, McCulloch said. Terrorism impacts all kinds of people, and its very personal and long lasting, said Kathryn Turman, the FBIs Victim Services Division assistant director. ASL interpretation will be available for this event. What Syracuse has done is truly remarkable, Weipz said. MP Andrew Mitchell said Al-Megrahi was comatose and near death. Eladia Slade. The aircraft did not acknowledge this message. This year marks the 33rd anniversary . You could see how much time had passed. [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. The Guardian, 12 November 1994, page 6, "Cover-up claim as Lockerbie film screening is cancelled". [21], The explosion punched a 50cm (20in) hole on the left side of the fuselage. The bombing was the first major terrorist attack on Americans. But at Arlington National Cemetery this year, some of their grandchildren will be in attendance. It was heartbreaking. In addition to the families of the victims, there were 50 senior Pan Am pilots and military veterans who were uniquely impacted by this bombing. [32][33] Matthew Gannon, the Central Intelligence Agency's deputy station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, was sitting in seat 14J, which is located in the business class (branded as "Clipper Class") cabin. However, he says, although there may be bias against older entrepreneurs, his experience is a benefit, not a . [154], Syracuse University holds a memorial week every year called "Remembrance Week" to commemorate its 35 lost students. 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. While no doubt organisations such as the PFLP-GC and the PPSF were also engaged in terrorist activities during the same period, we are satisfied that there was no evidence from which we could infer that they were involved in this particular act of terrorism, and the evidence relating to their activities does not create a reasonable doubt in our minds about the Libyan origin of this crime.[70]. During what Boyd calls Phase 1 of the investigation--the search for bodies--victims were discovered over a 10-mile radius around Lockerbie. Thirty years ago, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 sent a shock wave around the world. The clear inference which we draw from this evidence is that the conception, planning and execution of the plot which led to the planting of the explosive device was of Libyan origin. Act as a Spokesperson In case of an emergency, one person should take primary responsibility to speak on behalf of the entire organization to eliminate conflicting messages and to prevent the spread of misinformation. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Pan Am flight 103 | Overview, Crash, Victims, & Facts The family groups stated goals are to discover the truth about the bombing and to seek justice for their loved ones, to make sure the airline industry maintains and improves safety, to educate the public about Pan Am Flight 103, and to support one another. On December 1988, the Boeing 747 was scheduled to fly from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit, Michigan, via London and New York. Other parts of the jetliner came to rest in and around Lockerbie. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. Two of Pan Am's subsidiaries, Alert Management Inc., which handles Pan Am's security at foreign airports, and Pan American World Services, were also found guilty. For the families of the victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie and its residents will forever hold a place in their hearts. In Lockerbie, Downing of Pan Am Flight 103 Still Casts a Long Shadow [77] The SCCRC's decision was based on facts set out in an 800-page report that determined that "a miscarriage of justice may have occurred". Al-Megrahi later sent to jail in Glasgow. Rescue . Dark Elegy is the work of sculptor Suse Lowenstein of Long Island, whose son Alexander, then 21, was a passenger on the flight. They were mostly American, many were British, but they were also from the Philippines, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Canada, all over. The perpetrators had apparently intended the plane to crash into the sea, destroying any traceable evidence, but its explosion over land left a trail of evidence.[56]. Some of the destruction caused by Pan Am Flight 103 after it crashed onto the town of Lockerbie in Scotland, on 21st December 1988. "Some families want cash, others say it is blood money", said a State Department official. "Lockerbie pair 'could have survived', This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 21:49. 2 Passengers On Flight 103 Might Have Survived, Pathologist Says By Katie Benner and Adam Goldman. My children are now laying the groundwork as to how they want to approach this with their children, said Mary Kay Stratis, whose husband died on Pan Am Flight 103. The people of Lockerbie managed the catastrophe with laudable skill. It was like it was made of butter, and it was dripping.. 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]. Shortly after Mueller became FBI Director in 2001just days before the 9/11 attackshe asked Turman to establish a new Office for Victim Assistance at the FBI. [162], The main UK memorial is at Dryfesdale Cemetery about one mile (1.5 kilometres) west of Lockerbie. [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. The trial began on May 3, 2000. 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. This mother tragically lost her son in the bombing of the Pan Am Flight 103. Mum started crying. The fuselage continued moving forward and down until it reached 19,000ft (5,800m), when its dive became nearly vertical. The horror of Lockerbie: When Pan Am Flight 103 exploded Investigators believed that two Libyan intelligence agents were responsible for the bombing; many speculated that the attack had been retaliation for a 1986 U.S. bombing campaign against Libyas capital city, Tripoli.
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