Key facts
- The Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 killed 270 people.
- Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was the sole conviction for the attack.
- New intelligence documents, the 'Senussi Files', allegedly detail plans for similar attacks.
- These files and CIA cables suggest potential Iranian involvement and corroborate suspect movements.
- Abu Agila Masud, accused of making the bomb, faces trial in Washington DC.
The Lockerbie bombing, the UK's deadliest terror attack, occurred in December 1988 when Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground. Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted in 2001, but questions about the case persist.
Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the bombing, is a prominent voice challenging the official narrative. He believes Iran was behind the attack, not Libya, and that Megrahi was innocent. Swire points to a foiled militant cell in Frankfurt, linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC), which possessed explosive devices similar to the one used in the bombing. He suggests the bomb was loaded in Frankfurt, not Malta as concluded by the court, and is suspicious of intelligence agencies' involvement.
Former CIA agent John Holt also questions the official story and believes Iran was responsible. Holt, who worked with Libyan intelligence assets, now views informant Abdul Majid Giaka as unreliable, suggesting Giaka fed the CIA fake stories for money. Holt's assessment is supported by the fact that the CIA bankrolled Giaka.
Recent intelligence documents, dubbed the 'Senussi Files', allegedly recovered from Libyan intelligence, provide new details. These files, examined by investigative journalist Vincent Nouzille, reportedly detail plans to target aircraft with long-delay timer bombs concealed in luggage, similar to the Lockerbie incident. They also mention tests on concealing devices in tape recorders and outline the movements of suspects like Megrahi and Masud in Malta, corroborating information previously provided by Giaka in CIA cables. Nouzille spent three years verifying these documents.
Meanwhile, Abu Agila Masud, who is suspected of making the bomb, is scheduled to go on trial in Washington DC later this year, indicating the case is far from closed.