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On the night of the attack, which became known as the ''Pan Am Flight 103 disaster'' or the ''] air disaster'', a Boeing 747-121 (N739PA) with the name ''Maid of the Seas'', was operating the final London-New York leg of the route. On the night of the attack, which became known as the ''Pan Am Flight 103 disaster'' or the ''] air disaster'', a Boeing 747-121 (N739PA) with the name ''Maid of the Seas'', was operating the final London-New York leg of the route.


At 19:03 GMT, 38 minutes into the flight and only minutes after the aircraft entered ] airspace, an explosion in the forward cargo hold caused catastrophic structural failure. The cockpit and nose section, (]), tore away from the fuselage and struck the No 3 engine, knocking it off its pylon. The blast created a small hole in the fuselage and cabin floor allowing ejected debris to strike the tail planes. At 19:03 GMT, 38 minutes into the flight and only minutes after the aircraft entered ] airspace, an explosion in the forward cargo hold caused a catastrophic systems failure. The cockpit and nose section, (]), tore away from the fuselage and struck the No 3 engine, knocking it off its pylon. The blast created a small hole in the fuselage and cabin floor allowing ejected debris to strike the tail planes.


The aircraft disintegrated as it descended, spilling all 259 passengers and crew into the night sky. Everyone on board died, 189 of them ]. A further 11 people on the ground died when the fuel-laden left wing hit the ground and exploded, leaving a giant crater where several houses had stood. Debris was scattered over an area of 180 miles. It was the worst act of terrorism against the United States until the ]. The aircraft disintegrated as it descended, spilling all 259 passengers and crew into the night sky. Everyone on board died, 189 of them ]. A further 11 people on the ground died when the fuel-laden left wing hit the ground and exploded, leaving a giant crater where several houses had stood. Debris was scattered over an area of 180 miles. It was the worst act of terrorism against the United States until the ].
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The improvised explosive device (IED) contained 312 ] of ], a battery and a simple timing device, all concealed inside a Toshiba radio-cassette recorder. It was established during the subsequent trial that one of the accused bought the timer just weeks before the bombing from a ] timer manufacturer, Edwin Bollier, of the company MEBO. The improvised explosive device (IED) contained 312 ] of ], a battery and a simple timing device, all concealed inside a Toshiba radio-cassette recorder. It was established during the subsequent trial that one of the accused bought the timer just weeks before the bombing from a ] timer manufacturer, Edwin Bollier, of the company MEBO.


It is possible that the terrorists intended the plane to explode over the ] and had timed the IED to be detonated accordingly, but due to heavy winds that night PA103 was delayed for 30 minutes before going north over Scotland to New York instead of by its usual over-sea route. It is possible that the terrorists intended the plane to explode over the ] and had timed the IED to be detonated accordingly, but due to heavy winds that night PA103 was delayed for 30 minutes before going north over Scotland to New York instead of by its usual route over Ireland.


==Trial in the Scottish Court in the Netherlands== ==Trial in the Scottish Court in the Netherlands==
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In ], as several countries started to ignore the ]’s Lockerbie-related economic sanctions, the Libyan government conceded to a trial in a "neutral" country and ] agreed to them being handed over to Scotland for trial on ], ]. In ], as several countries started to ignore the ]’s Lockerbie-related economic sanctions, the Libyan government conceded to a trial in a "neutral" country and ] agreed to them being handed over to Scotland for trial on ], ].


The solution was to try the men in the ], at the ''Scottish Court in the Netherlands'' in the former ] base at Camp ]. The area was declared sovereign territory of ] governed by ] under a treaty signed by the ] and ] governments. The parties finally agreed, and in August 1998 the sanctions were suspended. The solution was to try the men in the ], at the ''Scottish Court in the Netherlands'' in the former ] base at Camp ]. The area was declared sovereign territory of ] governed by ] under a treaty signed by the ] and ] governments. The parties finally agreed, and in August 1998, United Nations (UN) sanctions were suspended, though not lifted.


The court site contained a court room, a prison for the accused and offices for press and families of the victims. During the trial the base was guarded by Scottish police officers and prison wardens. The court site contained a court room, a prison for the accused and offices for press and families of the victims. During the trial the base was guarded by Scottish police officers and prison wardens.
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In October 2002 it was reported that the Libyan government had made a compensation offer of $2.7 billion, about $10 million per victim. Then on ], ] Libya formally accepted responsibility for the bombing, but the statement consisted of general language that many people felt lacked an expression of remorse for the lives lost. Some people have also charged that the acceptance is a business deal aimed at removing economic sanctions and not a true admission of guilt. In October 2002 it was reported that the Libyan government had made a compensation offer of $2.7 billion, about $10 million per victim. Then on ], ] Libya formally accepted responsibility for the bombing, but the statement consisted of general language that many people felt lacked an expression of remorse for the lives lost. Some people have also charged that the acceptance is a business deal aimed at removing economic sanctions and not a true admission of guilt.


On ], ], the ] ended the 15-year old sanctions against Libya. On ], ], the ] ended the 15-year old sanctions against Libya.


On ] ], as required by European Human Rights law, the Scottish High Court set al-Megrahi's ] (the length of time he must serve before becoming eligible for parole) at 27 years, backdated to his detention in 1999. Scotland's Lord Advocate Colin Boyd lodged an appeal over the sentence after he was approached by the families of American victims, claiming the sentence was 'too lenient'. On ] ], as required by European Human Rights law, the Scottish High Court set al-Megrahi's ] (the length of time he must serve before becoming eligible for parole) at 27 years, backdated to his detention in 1999. Scotland's Lord Advocate Colin Boyd lodged an appeal over the sentence after he was approached by the families of American victims, claiming the sentence was 'too lenient'.
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==Speculation and conspiracy theories== ==Speculation and conspiracy theories==
Those who believe al-Megrahi is innocent have developed a number of conspiracy theories. Some believe that Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal was responsible, although as he was based in Libya for part of the last 20 years, his involvement would not necessarily exonerate Colonel Gadaffi. Those who believe al-Megrahi is innocent have developed a number of conspiracy theories. Some believe that Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal was responsible, though as he was based in Libya for much of the last 20 years, his involvement would not necessarily exonerate Colonel Gadaffi.


Others believe that the PFLP-GC (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command) was responsible, a ]-based rejectionist group led by Ahmed Jibril. It is known that this group was active in the Frankfurt area in October 1988, two months before PA103 was attacked. It is also known that they were hiding IEDs inside a variety of household electronic equipment, including at least two Toshiba radio-cassette recorders. Others believe responsibility lies with the PFLP-GC (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command), a ]-based rejectionist group led by Ahmed Jibril. It is known that this group was active in the Frankfurt area in October 1988, two months before PA103 was attacked. It is also known that they were hiding IEDs inside household electronic equipment, including at least two Toshiba radio-cassette recorders.


This information is known to Western agencies because one of the bombmakers, Marwan Khreesat, was a ] double-agent, reporting everything the group did back to Jordanian intelligence, who in turn passed the information to the German police and intelligence officers who had the group under surveillance. This information is known to Western agencies because one of the bombmakers, Marwan Khreesat, was a ] double-agent, reporting everything the group did back to Jordanian intelligence, who in turn passed the information to the German police and intelligence officers who had the group under surveillance.
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Another conspiracy theory suggests that the ] was cooperating with ] drug dealers who were shipping heroin to the U.S. via PA103. The CIA allegedly protected these suitcases and made sure they were not searched, the theory says, in exchange for intelligence on Arab groups in Syria. But one day, terrorists exchanged the drugs for a bomb. Another conspiracy theory suggests that the ] was cooperating with ] drug dealers who were shipping heroin to the U.S. via PA103. The CIA allegedly protected these suitcases and made sure they were not searched, the theory says, in exchange for intelligence on Arab groups in Syria. But one day, terrorists exchanged the drugs for a bomb.


Another version of the theory is that the CIA knew this exchange had been made, but let it happen, because the CIA protection of the suitcases was a rogue operation, and there were American intelligence officers on PA103 who had found out about it, and who were on their way home to ] to tell their superiors. Another version of the theory is that the CIA knew this exchange had been made, but let it happen, because the CIA protection of the suitcases was a rogue operation, and there were American intelligence officers on PA103 who had found out about it and were on their way home to ] to tell their superiors.


Much is made of rumors that heroin was allegedly found in the fields around Lockerbie. However, had heroin been switched for a bomb, it would not have arrived in Lockerbie, so the discovery of drugs in Lockerbie does not support the theory. Much is made of rumors that heroin was allegedly found in the fields around Lockerbie. However, had heroin been switched for a bomb, it would not have arrived in Lockerbie, so the discovery of drugs near the crash site does not support the protected-suitcase theory.


The first version of this story was put forward by Juval Aviv, the owner of Interfor Inc., a private investigation company in New York. Aviv claims to be a former ] officer, who led the so-called Hand of God team of ] assassins that killed several Palestinians believed responsible for the 1972 attack on the Olympic Village. Aviv was employed by Pan Am after the bombing, and he wrote a report, called the Interfor Report, blaming a CIA-protected drugs route. The first version of the heroin story was put forward by Juval Aviv, the owner of Interfor Inc., a private investigation company in New York. Aviv claims to be a former ] officer, who led the so-called Hand of God team of ] assassins that killed several Palestinians believed responsible for the 1972 attack on the Olympic Village. Aviv was employed by Pan Am as a consultant after the bombing, and he wrote a report, called the Interfor Report, blaming a CIA-protected drugs route.


The theory was later supported by Lester Coleman, a self-proclaimed former freelance journalist turned minor DEA/DIA informant in ], who claimed to have seen one of the PA103 passengers in a DEA office. Coleman subsequently turned his story into a book called ‘’Trail of the Octopus’’ No evidence has been put forward to support these claims. The theory was later supported by Lester Coleman, a self-proclaimed former freelance journalist turned minor DEA/DIA (Drug Enforcement Administration/Defence Intelligence Agency) informant in ], who claimed to have seen one of the PA103 passengers in a DEA office. Coleman subsequently turned his story into a book called ‘’Trail of the Octopus." No evidence has been put forward to support his claims.


==Two known motives== ==Two known motives==


What is known is that there were two clear possible motives for the attack on PA103. The first was the American bombing on ] and ] in 1985, during which a little girl Colonel Gadaffi and his wife had adopted was killed. The second was the July 1988 downing in the Gulf, by the ], of ], a passenger jet the American warship incorrectly identified as a hostile military aircraft. What is known is that there were two clear possible motives for the attack on PA103. The first was the American bombing of ] and ] in 1985, during which a little girl Colonel Gadaffi and his wife had adopted was killed. The second was the July 1988 downing in the Gulf, by the ], of ], a passenger jet the American warship incorrectly identified as a hostile military aircraft.


It may never be known whether either act prompted the bombing, or whether it was both, with Libyan and Iranian-paid agents working in concert, or with one group handing the job over to another when the Germans rounded up the PFLP-GC members near Frankfurt. It may never be known whether either act prompted the bombing, or whether it was both, with Libyan and Iranian-paid agents working in concert, or with one group handing the job over to another when the Germans rounded up the PFLP-GC members near Frankfurt.


Some CIA officers who worked on the investigation have been stated to privately believe that the PFLP-GC planned the attack then handed it over to Libyan intelligence after October 1988, because the German arrests meant the PFLP-GC was unable to complete the operation. Others believe there were parallel operations intended to ensure that at least one would succeed. Some CIA officers who worked on the investigation have told reporters they believe the PFLP-GC planned the attack, then handed it over to Libyan intelligence after October 1988, because the German arrests meant the PFLP-GC was unable to complete the operation. Other investigators believe there were parallel operations intended to ensure that at least one would succeed.


Many Lockerbie-watchers found it revealing that the Americans began to shift blame to Libya only after ] invaded ] in August 1990. America needed Syrian support for the ] ], the theory goes, and therefore did not want to blame a Syrian-based Palestinian terrorist group. For this reason, it is alleged, Colonel Gadaffi was a useful patsy. Many Lockerbie-watchers found it revealing that the Americans began to shift blame to Libya only after ] invaded ] in August 1990. America needed Syrian support for the ] ], the theory goes, and therefore did not want to blame a Syrian-based Palestinian terrorist group. For this reason, it is alleged, Colonel Gadaffi was a useful patsy.

Revision as of 04:15, 8 November 2004

Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan Am's regular Frankfurt-London-New York route which on December 21, 1988 was the target of a horrific terrorist bombing which killed 270 people.

PA103 regularly originated at Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, in Germany, for the leg to Heathrow Airport in England. Passengers changed aircraft there and PA103 continued on to John F. Kennedy International Airport in the United States.

On the night of the attack, which became known as the Pan Am Flight 103 disaster or the Lockerbie air disaster, a Boeing 747-121 (N739PA) with the name Maid of the Seas, was operating the final London-New York leg of the route.

At 19:03 GMT, 38 minutes into the flight and only minutes after the aircraft entered Scottish airspace, an explosion in the forward cargo hold caused a catastrophic systems failure. The cockpit and nose section, (Section 41), tore away from the fuselage and struck the No 3 engine, knocking it off its pylon. The blast created a small hole in the fuselage and cabin floor allowing ejected debris to strike the tail planes.

The aircraft disintegrated as it descended, spilling all 259 passengers and crew into the night sky. Everyone on board died, 189 of them Americans. A further 11 people on the ground died when the fuel-laden left wing hit the ground and exploded, leaving a giant crater where several houses had stood. Debris was scattered over an area of 180 miles. It was the worst act of terrorism against the United States until the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The bomb

It was later concluded that the hard-sided Samsonite suitcase containing the bomb had been unaccompanied baggage in the cargo hold of an earlier Air Malta flight to Frankfurt where it was loaded onto the first leg of PA103. It was transferred between planes again at Heathrow for the London-New York leg of the flight.

The improvised explosive device (IED) contained 312 grams of Semtex, a battery and a simple timing device, all concealed inside a Toshiba radio-cassette recorder. It was established during the subsequent trial that one of the accused bought the timer just weeks before the bombing from a Swiss timer manufacturer, Edwin Bollier, of the company MEBO.

It is possible that the terrorists intended the plane to explode over the Irish Sea and had timed the IED to be detonated accordingly, but due to heavy winds that night PA103 was delayed for 30 minutes before going north over Scotland to New York instead of by its usual route over Ireland.

Trial in the Scottish Court in the Netherlands

Two Libyan intelligence officers were indicted over the attack in 1991. One of the them was Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah and the other was the former head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, Abd al-Basset Ali Mohammad al-Megrahi.

In 1998, as several countries started to ignore the UN’s Lockerbie-related economic sanctions, the Libyan government conceded to a trial in a "neutral" country and Colonel Gadaffi agreed to them being handed over to Scotland for trial on April 5, 1999.

The solution was to try the men in the Netherlands, at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands in the former United States Air Force base at Camp Zeist. The area was declared sovereign territory of Scotland governed by Scots Law under a treaty signed by the UK and Dutch governments. The parties finally agreed, and in August 1998, United Nations (UN) sanctions were suspended, though not lifted.

The court site contained a court room, a prison for the accused and offices for press and families of the victims. During the trial the base was guarded by Scottish police officers and prison wardens.

The trial began on May 3, 2000 before three judges, Lords Sutherland, McLean and Coulsfield, without a jury.

Verdicts were reached on January 31, 2001. Abd al-Basset Ali Mohammad al-Megrahi was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with a recommendation that he serve at least 20 years. Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was found not guilty and returned home to Libya the next day. An appeal by al-Megrahi was rejected on March 14, 2002 and he was moved to Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow, Scotland. He claimed he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and his supporters have labelled him the 271st Lockerbie victim.

The site at Camp Zeist was decommissioned and returned to the Dutch Government.

Subsequent events

There have been calls for a fresh appeal and for al-Megrahi to serve his sentence in a Muslim country. A commission from the Organisation of African Unity criticised the basis of al-Megrahi's conviction. In June 2002 Nelson Mandela showed his sympathy by visiting him in prison.

In October 2002 it was reported that the Libyan government had made a compensation offer of $2.7 billion, about $10 million per victim. Then on August 15, 2003 Libya formally accepted responsibility for the bombing, but the statement consisted of general language that many people felt lacked an expression of remorse for the lives lost. Some people have also charged that the acceptance is a business deal aimed at removing economic sanctions and not a true admission of guilt.

On September 12, 2003, the UN ended the 15-year old sanctions against Libya.

On November 24 2003, as required by European Human Rights law, the Scottish High Court set al-Megrahi's tariff (the length of time he must serve before becoming eligible for parole) at 27 years, backdated to his detention in 1999. Scotland's Lord Advocate Colin Boyd lodged an appeal over the sentence after he was approached by the families of American victims, claiming the sentence was 'too lenient'.

On 24 February 2004, Libyan Prime Minister Shokri Ghanem stated in an interview broadcast by BBC Radio 4 that his country had only paid the compensation as a "price for peace" and to secure the lifting of UN sanctions. Asked if Libya did not accept guilt, he said "I agree with that". He also said there was no evidence to link his country with the shooting of Yvonne Fletcher in London.

His comments were retracted by Gadaffi, under intense and immediate pressure from Washington and London.

Speculation and conspiracy theories

Those who believe al-Megrahi is innocent have developed a number of conspiracy theories. Some believe that Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal was responsible, though as he was based in Libya for much of the last 20 years, his involvement would not necessarily exonerate Colonel Gadaffi.

Others believe responsibility lies with the PFLP-GC (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command), a Damascus-based rejectionist group led by Ahmed Jibril. It is known that this group was active in the Frankfurt area in October 1988, two months before PA103 was attacked. It is also known that they were hiding IEDs inside household electronic equipment, including at least two Toshiba radio-cassette recorders.

This information is known to Western agencies because one of the bombmakers, Marwan Khreesat, was a Jordanian double-agent, reporting everything the group did back to Jordanian intelligence, who in turn passed the information to the German police and intelligence officers who had the group under surveillance.

Another conspiracy theory suggests that the CIA was cooperating with Syrian drug dealers who were shipping heroin to the U.S. via PA103. The CIA allegedly protected these suitcases and made sure they were not searched, the theory says, in exchange for intelligence on Arab groups in Syria. But one day, terrorists exchanged the drugs for a bomb.

Another version of the theory is that the CIA knew this exchange had been made, but let it happen, because the CIA protection of the suitcases was a rogue operation, and there were American intelligence officers on PA103 who had found out about it and were on their way home to Washington to tell their superiors.

Much is made of rumors that heroin was allegedly found in the fields around Lockerbie. However, had heroin been switched for a bomb, it would not have arrived in Lockerbie, so the discovery of drugs near the crash site does not support the protected-suitcase theory.

The first version of the heroin story was put forward by Juval Aviv, the owner of Interfor Inc., a private investigation company in New York. Aviv claims to be a former Mossad officer, who led the so-called Hand of God team of Israeli assassins that killed several Palestinians believed responsible for the 1972 attack on the Olympic Village. Aviv was employed by Pan Am as a consultant after the bombing, and he wrote a report, called the Interfor Report, blaming a CIA-protected drugs route.

The theory was later supported by Lester Coleman, a self-proclaimed former freelance journalist turned minor DEA/DIA (Drug Enforcement Administration/Defence Intelligence Agency) informant in Cyprus, who claimed to have seen one of the PA103 passengers in a DEA office. Coleman subsequently turned his story into a book called ‘’Trail of the Octopus." No evidence has been put forward to support his claims.

Two known motives

What is known is that there were two clear possible motives for the attack on PA103. The first was the American bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi in 1985, during which a little girl Colonel Gadaffi and his wife had adopted was killed. The second was the July 1988 downing in the Gulf, by the USS Vincennes, of Iranair 655, a passenger jet the American warship incorrectly identified as a hostile military aircraft.

It may never be known whether either act prompted the bombing, or whether it was both, with Libyan and Iranian-paid agents working in concert, or with one group handing the job over to another when the Germans rounded up the PFLP-GC members near Frankfurt.

Some CIA officers who worked on the investigation have told reporters they believe the PFLP-GC planned the attack, then handed it over to Libyan intelligence after October 1988, because the German arrests meant the PFLP-GC was unable to complete the operation. Other investigators believe there were parallel operations intended to ensure that at least one would succeed.

Many Lockerbie-watchers found it revealing that the Americans began to shift blame to Libya only after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990. America needed Syrian support for the ] Gulf War, the theory goes, and therefore did not want to blame a Syrian-based Palestinian terrorist group. For this reason, it is alleged, Colonel Gadaffi was a useful patsy.

The theory is naive in two respects. Firstly, although America blamed Libya publicly for the bombing for the first time after August 1990, insiders knew from around October 1989 that the focus of the investigation had turned to Libya. Secondly, it would not necessarily have harmed Syria had a Damascus-based terrorist group been held responsible. These Palestinian groups are based in Syria only in the sense of having their headquarters and press offices there. There is no evidence or suggestion that the Syrian government would have approved of an attack against the United States in response to the American attacks on Libya or Iran.

At Arlington National Cemetery on November 3, 1995 US President Bill Clinton dedicated a memorial to the victims of the event. There are similar memorials at Dryfesdale Cemetery, outside Lockerbie, and at Syracuse University in New York, which lost 35 students in the blast.

See also

External links

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