Lockerbie Disaster: When was Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, who were the Lockerbie bombing victims, who is Abu Agila Masud?

The Lockerbie disaster was a terror attack which killed 270 people - including 11 on the ground in Scotland.

The Lockerbie bombing of 1988 is the deadliest terror attack to have ever taken place on British soil. When a Pan Am flight exploded mid-air over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, a total of 270 people were killed.

Here is everything you need to know about the tragedy, including what happened on the day, who the victims were and who has been charged for involvement in the terrorist attack.

When was the Pan Am Lockerbie bombing?

A Libyan man who is accused of making the bomb which blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockie in 1988 is reportedly in US custody. What was the Lockerbie disaster, what happened to Pan Am 103 and who were the victims? [Images in collage: Getty]A Libyan man who is accused of making the bomb which blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockie in 1988 is reportedly in US custody. What was the Lockerbie disaster, what happened to Pan Am 103 and who were the victims? [Images in collage: Getty]
A Libyan man who is accused of making the bomb which blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockie in 1988 is reportedly in US custody. What was the Lockerbie disaster, what happened to Pan Am 103 and who were the victims? [Images in collage: Getty]
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The Lockerbie air disaster happened at 7:02pm on 21 December 1988, just a few days before Christmas.

What happened during the Lockerbie disaster?

Pan Am Flight 103 was travelling from Frankfurt to Detroit, via London and New York, with 243 passengers and 16 crew members on board.

While it was passing over the Dumfries and Galloway town of Lockerbie, 38 minutes after it had left Heathrow airport, a bomb inside a suitcase caused the plane to explode in mid-air.

The Lockerbie bombing is the deadliest terror attack to have ever taken place in Britain (Getty Images)The Lockerbie bombing is the deadliest terror attack to have ever taken place in Britain (Getty Images)
The Lockerbie bombing is the deadliest terror attack to have ever taken place in Britain (Getty Images)

The explosion caused a 20-inch hole in the left side of the fuselage, resulting in a huge drop in pressure which meant the plane nose dived.

The plane shattered and exploded, breaking in mid-air and ultimately destroying 11 houses in Sherwood Crescent.

Who were the Lockerbie bombing victims?

Everyone on the plane, 259 passengers and crew, died during the disaster, as well as a further 11 people on the ground in Scotland.

The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)
The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)

The death toll of 270 means it is the deadliest terror attack in UK history. People from 21 different nations were killed in the tragedy, including 43 Brits and 190 Americans.

Among the dead were 35 students from Syracuse University on the flight who were returning to the US for Christmas after a semester in London.

The Lockerbie bombing victims of Sherwood Crescent were:

Kathleen Mary Flannigan, 41
Thomas Brown Flannigan, 44
Joanne Flannigan, 10
Dora Henrietta Henry, 56
Maurice Peter Henry, 63
Mary Lancaster, 81
Jean Aitkin Murray, 82
John Somerville, 40
Rosaleen Somerville, 40
Paul Somerville, 13
Lyndsey Ann Somerville, 10
The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)
The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)

Who was charged over the Lockerbie disaster?

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Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was accused of plotting the bombing.

His trial did not take place until 12 years after the Lockerbie air disaster, on May 3 2000, and he was found guilty of planning the terrorist attack and sentenced to life in prison in Scotland.

In 2009, he was released early from prison because he had terminal cancer, and he returned to Libya for three years before he died aged 60 in May 2012. Relatives of the bombing victims criticised the decision to release him from prison at the time.

Megrahi had always insisted he was innocent and unsuccessfully appealed against his 27-year sentence. In January 2021, his family lost an appeal against his conviction at the High Court in Edinburgh.

What is happening now and who is Abu Agila Masud?

The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)
The aftermath of the disaster (Getty Images)

In 2020, United States announced charges against another suspect in the Lockerbie air disaster on Monday 21 December 2020 – the 32-year anniversary of the tragedy.

Charges have been filed against a Libyan man, identified as Abu Agila Mohammad Masud, who is alleged to have made the bomb that blew up the plane.

He was been charged with terrorism-related crimes, and the then Attorney General William Barr said prosecutors would seek the extradition of Mr Masud to stand trial in the US.

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Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi was said to be the “third conspirator” behind the downing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988. Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder in 2001.

A spokesman for the Crown Office said: “The families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been told that the suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (‘Mas’ud’ or ‘Masoud’) is in US custody. Scottish prosecutors and police, working with UK Government and US colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with Al Megrahi to justice.”