Key facts
- The trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, accused in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, has been postponed for a third time.
- The postponement was granted due to newly discovered evidence that emerged three days before the trial was scheduled to begin.
- Jury selection was due to start in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, with a new trial date set for January next year.
- Al-Marimi denies building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people.
- The U.S. government alleges Al-Marimi confessed to the bombing in 2012, a claim his defense states was made under duress.
The trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan man accused of involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, has been postponed for a third time. The decision came just days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in Washington D.C., following the emergence of 'newly discovered evidence' on August 21. Defense lawyers stated that this evidence, previously unknown to both the defense and the prosecution, necessitates further investigation. Al-Marimi denies building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people. Judge Dabney Friedrich has agreed to postpone the trial, with a new start date set for January of next year. This marks the third delay for the case, which has been subject to numerous twists and turns over nearly four decades. Al-Marimi has been in U.S. custody since December 2022, and the U.S. government intends to use an alleged confession from 2012 as evidence, which the defense claims was made under duress.