Today, Attorney General William Barr announced new charges against a former Libyan intelligence operative, Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi [DOJ Announcement] for his role in building the bomb that killed 270 individuals in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on Dec. 21, 1988. [Video and Transcript Below]
[Transcript] – On this day 32 years ago, December 21, 1988, at 7:03 p.m. local time, a bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 as it flew 31,000 feet above Lockerbie, Scotland. The massive Boeing 747 plane, known as the “Clipper Maid of the Seas,” exploded and fell to the ground in countless pieces scattered across 840 square miles, nearly the entire width of Scotland.
The explosion killed all 259 people on board—243 passengers and 16 crew members, including 190 Americans. Falling debris claimed the lives of 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground, many of whom were in their homes and had just sat down for dinner.
The Lockerbie bombing remains the deadliest single terrorist attack in the history of the United Kingdom, and the second deadliest terrorist attack for Americans—surpassed only by the 9/11 attacks.
Immediately after the bombing, the FBI partnered with law enforcement agencies from Scotland to investigate. That joint investigation led to the filing of charges in 1991 against two Libyan intelligence officers. The investigation also pointed to another conspirator—a man known by the name “Abu Agela Masud”—but at the time, investigators were unable to identify or locate that suspect.
Joined this morning by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers … Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin … and Kara Weipz, whose brother Rick Monetti was killed on the flight and who now leads a Pan Am Flight 103 advocacy organization, I am pleased to announce that the United States has filed criminal charges against the third conspirator, Abu Agila Muhammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
Let there be no mistake: no amount of time or distance will stop the United States, and its partners in Scotland, from pursuing justice in this case.
Well over a third of Americans alive today were not yet born on the day of the Lockerbie bombing or would not have been old enough to remember it. But for those of us who do remember, that tragic event and the iconic images of its aftermath, some of which are displayed here today, are forever seared in our memories.
Passengers and crew aboard the flight came from 21 countries around the world. But by far the largest contingent on that doomed flight were Americans, including a group of 35 study-abroad students from Syracuse University who were on their way home to spend the holidays with their families.
There is no question that the Pan Am 103 attack was aimed at the United States, and this heinous assault lives in infamy in the collective memory of the American people. At Arlington National Cemetery, a cairn of 270 Scottish stones honors “those who lost their lives in this attack against America.” And at Syracuse University, 35 Remembrance Scholarships are awarded each year, with each recipient representing a particular Syracuse student killed aboard the plane.
Following the bombing, many of the victims’ families made an agonizing journey to Scotland to the place where they lost their loved ones. The people of Lockerbie, though devastated themselves, provided around-the-clock hospitality. In an unforgettable gesture, a group of Scottish women meticulously collected clothing from amid the wreckage; washed, ironed, and folded the garments they found; and sent them home to the victims’ family members as a final connection to their loved ones. Sadly, the remains of 17 victims were never identified or found.
From the beginning, the United States and Scotland have been determined to find and hold accountable those who perpetrated the Pan Am 103 attack. As I mentioned, our joint investigation led to the filing of charges in November 1991 in both the United States and Scotland against two Libyan intelligence officers—Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah. Nearly ten years later, in May 2000, a specially established Scottish court convened in The Netherlands to try the two men. In January 2001, Megrahi was convicted on all charges, but Fhimah was acquitted.
The breakthrough that has led to the charges announced today arose when law enforcement learned in 2016 that the third conspirator had been arrested after the collapse of the Qaddafi regime and interviewed by a Libyan law enforcement officer in September 2012. According to the criminal complaint affidavit, Masud built the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 and worked with Megrahi and Fhimah to carry out the plot. The affidavit also alleges that the operation had been ordered by the leadership of Libyan intelligence and that, after the downing of the aircraft, Qaddafi had thanked Masud for the successful attack on the United States. In addition to his involvement in the Lockerbie bombing, Masud was also involved in the 1986 bombing of the LaBelle Discotheque in Berlin, West Germany, which killed two American service members and a Turkish woman. Although Masud remains in Libyan custody, Libyan authorities provided a copy of the interview to law enforcement.
Based on that and other evidence, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division unsealed a complaint this morning in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging Masud with terrorism-related crimes for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. At long last, this man responsible for killing Americans and many others will be subject to justice for his crimes.
The Lockerbie bombing case holds special significance for me because I was serving as the Acting Attorney General when charges were filed against Megrahi and Fhimah in 1991. I know firsthand the toil, tears, and sweat that have been poured into pursuing justice for the victims of the Lockerbie bombing and their families. And so it is with profound gratitude that I recognize and thank our law enforcement friends in Scotland for their nearly 32-year partnership with us on this case.
I also thank Lord Advocate of Scotland James Wolffe for his continued partnership. There is much work still to be done, and we will not be able to do it without our colleagues in Scotland. We are committed to working arm-in-arm with them as we move forward in this case. I am especially proud of the countless agents and analysts of the FBI who have worked the Pan Am 103 case relentlessly over the decades. Thank you for your dedication and perseverance. And finally, I thank the prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division for their many years of hard work and for preparing the charges in this case.
Today, Masud remains in Libyan custody, and we intend to work closely with our Scottish counterparts to use every feasible and appropriate means to ensure that he answers for his part in the Lockerbie bombing. It is my hope that Libyan authorities will allow Masud to be tried for this crime and will provide the support and witnesses necessary to bring him to justice.
Nevertheless, while we will never rest in our efforts to hold Masud accountable, I hope that the families of the lost will find some comfort in the charges filed today. The alleged facts underlying these charges fill important gaps in the historical record and help complete the account of how the bombing was executed and who was responsible. Finding the truth is the first step toward achieving justice.
Much has changed in the more than three decades since Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie. Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing in 2003. Qaddafi and his regime are no more. Libya is no longer at war with America. And while we still face terrorist threats, our terrorist enemies are different, and we are more vigilant. Time, to be sure, marches on, and there is a tendency to think that grief does as well. But even though grief, like memories, may fade, for those who have lost love ones unexpectedly, it never truly fades away.
To the families of those who died in the sky above Lockerbie all those years ago, I know that the small step we take today cannot compensate for the sorrow you feel to this day. But I hope that you will find some measure of solace in knowing that we in the United States Government, on behalf of the American people and in partnership with our counterparts in Scotland, have never relented, and will never relent, in the pursuit of justice for you and your loved ones.
Thank you.
So Barr announces swift American Justice upon a criminal of 32 years ago, but gives a raspberry to the greatest Crime in American history?
Blow it outta yer pipes, Bill…
That is exactly what I thought. He really had the presser to tell the people he is shoving it up their asses one final time before he exits the stage.
He likes doing this. He’s been doing it all of his life.
But can’t Trump just get another attorney general or equal that can appoint a special prosecutor?
Apparently no progress on the massacre at Waco, or Ruby Ridge, or on dad’s friend Epstein…
Figure his 32 year plan for the obvious 2020 election abusers.
Don’t forget the Las Vegas shootings. It’ll be in eternity before we find out the truth about THAT crime.
You already know.
You won’t because it was a government sponsored assassination to force us into ceding our Second Amendment rights.
Oh, he took care of the “Epstein problem”.
charges for waco are scheduled for 2045. ruby ridge charges will be in in 2061.
the fbi is still working on the epstein thing.
I made a bit of a jest on this thread. It’s hard to believe he could be this stupid. Ughh as they say on 4chan it’s gotta be bait but maybe not. Hard to tell with DC Bureaucrats these days. Bring them Pan Am criminals you justice Bill. What a legacy.
WHILE saying there will be no special counsel into the Bidens while he, “the adult in the room”, is there. Nothing to see there, move along Is he trying to curry Scottish favor here? WTH.
I had an identical reaction which I posted on the “Presidential Thread” earlier today.
Sure, those victims deserve justice, but ANY NOTION that the world will sit up and take note, let alone quake with fear over “America’s Relentless Quest For Justice” is ludicrous.
We became a laughing stock under Obama, and Congressional resistance to DJT’s policies didn’t allow the remedial action needed to reverse that.
Ergo, China’s expansion in the face of America’s Paper Tiger.
Uhhh, … this announcement deserved a presser? I thank God every day that I retain my sanity in the face of worthless “leaders” like Barr. He would have probably said Judas was short on cash and made a bad decision. My boiling point is very near.
Now Barr can retire and play Santa forever. He has the belly for it.
Thirty years later and this is what the gasbag is concerned with. Useless to the core.
He is a Bush baby.
What’s next? A comprehensive investigatory report on the sinking of the Lusitania?
What a frickin’ joke. Look, squirrel!
This is a giant FU to every one of us. Well, Bill, FU back.
Why waste your time indicating another Muslim bomber when Obama appointed New York Federal Judge Kaplan will just set him free because he’s overweight like the one set free this week, Bill?
And the wonderful “prosecutors” evidently did not help. From the NY Post story:
While prosecutors didn’t agree that Bary’s age made him more at risk to catch COVID-19, they did concede his body mass index of 36 did.
“The defendant’s obesity is an extraordinary and compelling reason that could justify a reduction of his sentence in light of the current pandemic,” they wrote.“
What an absolute joke with the system. Don’t try to break out of prison, just increase your carb load, and you’re golden. Who cares if you deprive people of their rights and lives by terror; pass the donuts as we backstab the victims one more time.
Now that Barr has announced this, I’m sorry, but I’m inclined to think that this “third conspirator” is innocent.
Why should I trust anything Barr says?
I’m inclined to think this “third conspirator” is a target of our government for some reason and this is a fake charge about a bombing decades and decades ago to shut this man up.
I see NO REASON TO BELIEVE the Department of Justice. Its role is to protect the criminals throughout our government.
Barr still wants to charge Assange, doesn’t he?
As far as I’m concerned, every case brought by the DOJ is politically motivated, and therefore illegitimate.
This is NOT a department interested in applying the law.
We have video evidence of election fraud in a Presidential election, and no arrests.
I’m just angry I didn’t think of that. Why should we believe anyone the Just-us department charges with crimes is guilty? I’ve decided if I ever serve on a jury and the feds are the prosecution the person on trial is innocent, period.
True. The guy must have dirt on Hillary.
And the most corrupt Congress in history.
Is this calling in a personal favor for Hillary or something?
Screw Barr.
Is it Dec 23rd yet?
Best Christmas present E.V.E.R. BARR GONE.
HE may not be appointing and SC’s, but the NEXT GUY CAN (and hopefully, WILL)…
I guess most the relatives of Lockerbie were already dead. BS from Gasbag.
THANK GOD, Hallelujah. William actually grew a spine and stepped up to the plate…. Wait am I on the wrong thread? Lol
Why not the JFK assassination? Was the CIA has something to do with it?
Oh look over there!
Look at the squirrel!!
Well with this stunt A.G. Barr has certainly made himself the laughing stock of the whole world.
If he wasn’t already.
Yet another call to arms slipping away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJtMHI0A6ds
Why is this guy giving press conferences? FIRE him IMMEDIATELY, walk him OUT!
Can’t President Trump assign a new attorney general who will?
At this rate, Barr will investigate Obamagate in 2050.
Drop Duster Barr likes those cold cases. He can sit on arse and watch other people dig and feel important.
Are you serious. This guy is an idiot. Do everyone a favor and make his last day yesterday!
Justice delayed is justice denied.
The victims didn’t receive justice today.
The announcement was simply to divert attention away from his gross dereliction of duty.
Next up, announcing additional war crime indictments against Adolph Hitler…Bagpipes Bill needs to put out an APB, he’s missing his spine.
1988..”new” charges announced in 2020.
huh.
so let me get this right.
DOJ can drop charges on a KNOWN foreign terrorist and apparently no statute of limitations apply.
do I have this right?
So, on that premise, are we to expect there is no running clock on a domestic terror conspiracy (aka, “THE COUP”) that occured in 2016?’
do I have this right?
or does it only “count” when actual dead bodies fall from the sky, on foreign soil, from a terrorist who is also a non-us citizen.
additional question: how does DOJ have standing? What harm can DOJ claim. Is DOJ representing ANY US citizen? and if so, who are they by name?
this is again one of those circumstances, where I have no idea how the DOJ operates.
I get it that the FBI has long been prime investigator of terrorism. I get that. But the inconsistency seems to favor getting after it with legitimate non stop active prosecution for terror, but not here on the homefront?
do I have this right?
serious question…what IS the priority?
a 1988 crime of terror that killed lots of people….Or a conspiracy and coup that has no equal in US history in terms of stealing the very power delegated to “officials” who then abuse it, using what can only be described as abusing and criminal conduct and weaponizing the crown jewels of the secret police spy state?
not impressed.
sure, go get this criminal terrorist. I got no problem with that.
But where IS the priority in the big picture. Old crimes few can even remember unless you are 50 plus y/o…or an immediate, active, clear and real present danger to the very root foundation of our nation?
serious question
Serious answer: the priority is the complete control that they lost in 2016.
They may still have a lot, but congressional Democrat plans were shelved for the most part.
They really did not think that 2016 was going to happen the way that it did.
They counted on the witch to just sail right in, and they underestimated We the People.
This time, they cheated.
They know it, you know it, I know it.
so…when do the CATERPILLAR investigations REOPEN (that Barr shut down shortly after taking AG position).?
for those that missed it, AG Barr, prior to taking his AG position was legal counsel to CATERPILLAR. Hired Specifically to defend them and make sure this company that committed (alleged) BILLIONS of dollars of tax fraud. Using offshore shell companies to shuttle revenue that ultimately was banked in Switzerland. Apparently the DOJ WAS pursuing prosecution and Barr was ineffective in selling a deal/settlement. Then he became AG. Shortly thereafter, BARR HIMSELF axed the prosecution of CATERPILLAR.
There’s your compromise ….There’s your criminal abuse of power. There’s your money connection.
So, will the DOJ, now that Barr is gone, REOPEN the investigation and begin prosecution using a “NEW” set of charges against CATERPILLAR, and perhaps determine that Barr’s actions while AG where unlawful and an abuse of power…?
Maybe sullivan can take the case and afford him all the due process given to LTGEN Flynn.
Next up? Wray.
we got lots of things to discuss about that jackwagon too!
I can only speculate, but this strikes me as a way for AG Barr to thwart any further investigation by independent researchers as to what really happened and who may have been the real culprits behind this incident.
Barr has no interest in getting to the truth about anything of importance. No, his goal has always been to run interference so that the truth remains obscured, especially the truth about how the federal government operates.
How many years did it take to come to this OBVIOUS conclusion ?
Over three years I’ve waited, expecting that one day, any day, I would hear an announcement from DOJ that there was going to be a press conference in the main Justice auditorium at which the AG accompanied by Huber or later Durham would discuss the investigation into criminality of FISA abuse and the origins and execution of Crossfire Hurricane..and announce indictments. Waiting, telling myself these things take time, there’s no room for error, the wheels of justice grind slowly, they’re dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s. Then Sundance, who has irrefutably correlated and time-phased hundreds if not thousands documents pertaining to the multiple DOJ IG, FISA court, House and Senate investigations and much more, goes to DC and gets a reaction ranging from hostility to indifference. Be patient, I tell myself, Barr’s got this. Matter of fact, it’s IMPOSSIBLE that Barr hasn’t got this. Plus thanks to Sundance, they now know that we common citizens know. So today there was a press conference, perhaps the most disappointing possible, showing beyond a doubt that we live in a climate of “Justice Theater,” not in a climate of justice. Restoring the US to a climate of justice will be painful and will wrench all parts of society in this country. But Bill Barr has made the pain necessary.
what year did PanAm go out of business? twenty years ago? johnny on the spot.
Well, they also handled the garage noose with great dispatch.
NASCAR
For a moment I had lost faith in the tre letter circus.
Don’t care Bill. There is an election being stolen you worthless POS.
Tomorrow, AG Barr will hold a press conference to tell us it was Mr. Plum in the Library with the candle stick.
Good grief, what a loser!
I used to be obsessed with Islamic terrorism. I would check in on Jihadwatch (an excellent site) every day or two and read the latest Muslim outrage.
Then the Trump phenomenon began, and we learned that most of the federal government is composed of traitors who spent four years trying to overturn a valid election and nullify the will of the voters. Now, finally, with a massive multi-state election fraud too obvious to deny, they appear to have succeeded. This was taking place against he backdrop of Democrat party radicalizing so quickly that they now make Mao look like a Western-looking reformer, and a Republic establishment that has revealed itself as fundamentally just as hostile to the American people as the Democrats.
In view of the last five years, my concern about Islamic terrorism now seems to me almost comical. Abraham Lincoln was right.: There’s no credible external threat to the United States and never will be; the really dangerous enemies are all homegrown; they’re right here, they’re in our face, and they control every significant institution in America.
Yes, our enemies are here and they are in our government. The government works for the corporations, the MIC, and the bankers (especially the central bankers behind the Great Reset). They using the fake virus as cover for economic warfare (via the lockdowns) on the American people (this is all about the banking oligarchy and the Great Reset) And I say “fake” virus, because it’s never been isolated and they never proved causality with Koch’s postulates. If we were truly in a deadly pandemic, then the number of total deaths this year would be higher than previous years, but it’s not. This entire Covid operation is psyop based on false positives from the scientifically fraudulent PCR test. People are getting sick from the same things they’ve always gotten sick from, but now everything is being misdiagnosed and called covid due to the fraudulent test (with 89-94% or higher false positives).
And I actually don’t believe anything from the US govt or the MSM–they have lied about everything across my lifetime. I don’t believe the official BS story about 9/11 (because I did my research) and I don’t believe the story about the 93 WTC attack (again, because I did my research). The criminal and treasonous US govt works with terrorists and uses them as proxies for foreign policy. IMO it’s a bit too suspicious that all during the Cold War we never heard anything about the Islamic terrorists. But after the Soviet Union fell, and we could have had peace,which would have been very bad in terms of $$$$ for the MIC, suddenly the Islamic terrorists pop up and start being new problem that we can throw more $$$$ after. Many of the events blamed on “islamic terrorists” are false flags, many times the people doing the terror are armed, trained and supported by the criminal and treasonous US govt. Yes, I’m saying that the US is willing to spend $$$ creating enemies, so we can spend $$$ defeating them. Why is the US govt (CIA, state dept) protecting terror leader Fetullah Gulen and keeping him in PA (he has a network of terrorists all over the world)? Because they are partners.
Our enemy is here and it’s our government.
Hmmmm. 270 killed 32 years ago.
270 needed to secure Electoral College.
Trump’s mother was Scottish.
Something weird is happening…
Step back from the abyss, Cole.
And the Libyans will say “NO”.
This opens up a sore wound for me! I lost a good friend in that tragedy. I dedicated my thesis to him when I received my Masters in 96.
I’m Sorry about the opening of an old wound
with the reminder of the loss
of Your Good Friend , Jedi9 .
Very Lovely Thought to dedicate Your Thesis to him .
They must have run out of garage door pulls to investigate.
Too little too late
Right now I don’t see a dime’s worth of difference between Barr and L.A. District Attorney George Gascon. Gascon took Soros money, but I’m not so sure Barr didn’t pocket a few dollars of Soros money, too. Doesn’t everybody nowadays? If you asked Barr, how would you know he was telling you the truth about it?
Well, at least the FBI solved the case of the century (not). I’m surprised those Keystone Cops found the time with all those big cases they were working on like the garage door rope.
It’s not going to get any better if the Democrats get away with stealing the election. Hunter is probably praying, for the first time in his miserable life, that his dad will pardon him. And if the Dems win the Senate races in Georgia, the left will pass everything they’ve ever dreamed of doing.
Just like that the republic is dead. Spend the $600 on flowers for a dead country.
I remember, it was heartbreaking, thanks to Sundance for his work on the case, that had to be hard, and Barr can kiss my grits.
Why now?
Why not under Obama/Biden/clinton in 2012, when he was arrested and interviewed by Libyan LE, after Qaddafi was deposed?
Was he involved in the planning/execution of the Benghazi embassy attack?
Why not charge him 2016, when they learned of the interview? Or did they? When was the sealed indictment filed?
Will he be extradited?
Gasbag is do nothing POS at the DOJ. Many crimes has been committed by gov officials, bureaucrats, bidens, obamao and clintons against humanity. The deep state has put him to undermine PDJT clean house.
I am sure his press conference meant a lot to the families involved. I am glad for them for I am sure they continue to relive those moments in their memory. This will give them comfort.
However, it appears that in focusing on that issue, Barr ended up with blinders to what is going on in the US right now. We have a crisis going on and he seems to be really out of touch with the present reality here.
To give him credit, he does have some accomplishments. The major one is the withdrawal of the case against Flynn but even that was not carried to completion. POTUS had to grant Flynn a pardon to end that situation. Maybe he is doing something behind the scenes and I have judged him unjustly. I hope he proves me wrong. But optics are so important at this point and he is appearing to be a spineless, incompetent , and perhaps also a compromised AG. It appears that his friendship with Wray is an impediment to him confronting Wray on his corruption. Perhaps, Mr Barr should have stuck to practicing and further improving his bagpipe skills at home.
Wow, someone has their priorities askew.
What’s next? Will he be looking into the D. B. Cooper Case? Is he close to cracking what happened to Jimmy Hoffa?
The Lockerbie bombing remains the deadliest single terrorist attack in the history of the United Kingdom, and the second deadliest terrorist attack for Americans—surpassed only by the 9/11 attacks.
Nope, it is the third deadliest.
The Beirut barracks bombing killed 241 U.S. Servicemen.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombings
Barr prosecutes crimes from decades ago but won’t address voter fraud. What a fraud!
This political operative is a complete joke.
Thats fantastic..great wonderful charges refering to a 32 year old wreck…now about this little traitorous sedition issue on our homeland in 2020….
The guy they are charging must know exactly what Obama and Clinton did…
Obama and Biden was part of the Malaysian Flight 17 being shot down to take Crimea and put NATO and American military bases there