At 19:03 on Thursday, December 21, 1988, an American airliner exploded mid-air and crashed in the tiny village of Lockerbie, Scotland. Located in Dumfries and Galloway County, Lockerbie is accessible by a major highway, the A74(M). Nearby, there are a train station, a park (King Edward) and a golf course. The Pan Am Flight 103 air crash investigation began shortly thereafter.
The peaceful, unassuming little town was never to be the same. Pan American Airlines Flight 103 was en route to New York City. Originating in Frankfurt, Germany, with a stop at London's Heathrow Airport to drop off and pick up passengers. At three minutes past seven that Thursday evening, Flight 103 exploded over the tiny village, killing 259 people, as well as 11 people on the ground. The explosion left a six-mile trail of destruction on the ground.
Shortly before the crash, on the 18th of December, U. S. Embassies in Russia and in Finland released a warning that a terrorist attack on an American airliner travelling from Frankfurt to the United States was imminent. The local police departments were made aware of the threat, as was the airline, although the travelling public were kept oblivious to the threat. Several people had planned to board the aircraft in London, but for various reasons did not make it. Among these people were a government official from South Africa, a mechanic from India and a popular American singing group.
Records showed that an unaccompanied piece of luggage had been routed from Malta to Frankfurt, where it was loaded onto the feeder flight to London, Pan Am 103A. Police later discovered that the only person ever convicted of the bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, had also boarded that same flight. This was believed to be the suitcase that contained the bomb. Security was later tightened at small airports all around the world.
Careful searches of the local area during the investigation revealed almost sixty pieces of a suitcase that had evidence of extreme bomb damage. A circuit board, believed to have been part of the bomb, was located wrapped in a kid's t-shirt that was purchased in Malta. At first, when the shopkeeper in Malta was questioned as to who purchased the shirt, he said it was al-Megrahi. He later recanted this claim.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was tried in a neutral country, the Netherlands, under Scottish law. This was because the offense occurred in Scotland. The trial began in 2000 and concluded in 2001.
The trial went on for nine months, after which the Libyan national was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 27 years. He was revealed to be suffering from prostate cancer in 2008 and released from prison and flown home to Libya on compassionate grounds by then Scottish Justice, Kenny MacAskill. This was an extremely controversial move, causing anger on both sides of the Atlantic. Rubbing salt into the wound, his countrymen in Libya greeted him as a hero.
The Scottish arm of the Pan Am Flight 103 air crash investigation was led by John Orr and Watson McAteer, Chief Inspector of the local police force. The American team was comprised of two CIA personnel, Jim Shaughnessy and Vinnie Cannistraro. Rounding out the American team were Robert Muller and Larry Whittaker. Together, the investigation took place in 13 countries and accumulated 15,000 statements, 35,000 photos and 12,700 name cards.
The peaceful, unassuming little town was never to be the same. Pan American Airlines Flight 103 was en route to New York City. Originating in Frankfurt, Germany, with a stop at London's Heathrow Airport to drop off and pick up passengers. At three minutes past seven that Thursday evening, Flight 103 exploded over the tiny village, killing 259 people, as well as 11 people on the ground. The explosion left a six-mile trail of destruction on the ground.
Shortly before the crash, on the 18th of December, U. S. Embassies in Russia and in Finland released a warning that a terrorist attack on an American airliner travelling from Frankfurt to the United States was imminent. The local police departments were made aware of the threat, as was the airline, although the travelling public were kept oblivious to the threat. Several people had planned to board the aircraft in London, but for various reasons did not make it. Among these people were a government official from South Africa, a mechanic from India and a popular American singing group.
Records showed that an unaccompanied piece of luggage had been routed from Malta to Frankfurt, where it was loaded onto the feeder flight to London, Pan Am 103A. Police later discovered that the only person ever convicted of the bombing, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, had also boarded that same flight. This was believed to be the suitcase that contained the bomb. Security was later tightened at small airports all around the world.
Careful searches of the local area during the investigation revealed almost sixty pieces of a suitcase that had evidence of extreme bomb damage. A circuit board, believed to have been part of the bomb, was located wrapped in a kid's t-shirt that was purchased in Malta. At first, when the shopkeeper in Malta was questioned as to who purchased the shirt, he said it was al-Megrahi. He later recanted this claim.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was tried in a neutral country, the Netherlands, under Scottish law. This was because the offense occurred in Scotland. The trial began in 2000 and concluded in 2001.
The trial went on for nine months, after which the Libyan national was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 27 years. He was revealed to be suffering from prostate cancer in 2008 and released from prison and flown home to Libya on compassionate grounds by then Scottish Justice, Kenny MacAskill. This was an extremely controversial move, causing anger on both sides of the Atlantic. Rubbing salt into the wound, his countrymen in Libya greeted him as a hero.
The Scottish arm of the Pan Am Flight 103 air crash investigation was led by John Orr and Watson McAteer, Chief Inspector of the local police force. The American team was comprised of two CIA personnel, Jim Shaughnessy and Vinnie Cannistraro. Rounding out the American team were Robert Muller and Larry Whittaker. Together, the investigation took place in 13 countries and accumulated 15,000 statements, 35,000 photos and 12,700 name cards.
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