Washington: An alleged former Libyan intelligence agent appeared in a US court on Monday to answer charges related to the deadliest terror attack ever in Britain, which resulted in the deaths of 270 people and involved the bombing of a Pan Am jet. Scotland in 1988.
Three charges have been brought against Abu Agila Mohammed Massoud Kheir al-Marimi in connection with the Lockerbie bombing. He is alleged to have worked as an intelligence agent for Muammar Gaddafi's government in Libya between 1973 and 2011.
The death penalty will not be sought, according to federal prosecutors, but Massoud could receive a life sentence if convicted of "death resulting in destruction of an aircraft" and two other related crimes.
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The judge presiding over the trial in US District Court in Washington ordered Masood, 71, held without bond until a December 27 detention hearing.
In his first court appearance since being brought into the country, Massoud, bald and white-bearded, was given an Arabic interpreter. Tunisia-born Massoud was in US custody, according to a statement by Scottish prosecutors on Sunday, but no explanation of the circumstances of the transfer has been made public.
Abu Agila Mohammed Massoud Kheir al-Marimi was legally taken into US custody and brought to the country yesterday, according to a statement by Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
She continued, "This action highlights the Biden administration's unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law and holding accountable those who harm Americans through acts of terrorism."
According to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, gathering Masood was "an important step in our mission to honor the victims and seek justice on behalf of their loved ones."
According to Garland, it was thanks to the tireless efforts of American and Scottish law enforcement that the perpetrators of this horrific attack were identified, tracked and prosecuted.
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Only one person has ever been convicted for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988. 38 minutes after taking off from London, the New York-bound aircraft was destroyed by an explosion, sending the main fuselage crashing to the ground at Lockerbie and scattering debris over a large area.
All 259 people on board the jumbo jet, including 190 Americans, were killed in the bombing, as well as 11 others. Abdelbasset Ali Mohamed al-Magrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fimah, two alleged Libyan intelligence agents, were charged with the bombing and brought before a Scottish court in the Netherlands.
Megrahi was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to seven years in a Scottish prison; Fimah was found not guilty. Megrahi died in 2012 while defending his innocence in Libya.
However, the High Court of Scotland upheld his conviction in 2021 after his family filed a posthumous appeal in 2017 to clear his name.
Massoud's fate is linked to the bitter factionalism of Libyan politics that emerged after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011.
Massoud is said to be detained in Libya, for his alleged involvement in attacks on Libyan opposition leaders in 2011. According to a September 2015 article in The New Yorker, Massoud was reportedly sentenced to 10 years in prison in Libya for using remote-detonated bombs against members of the Libyan opposition in 2011.
When Washington became aware of Massoud's arrest and alleged admission of joining the new Libyan regime in 2012, the Lockerbie investigation was reopened in 2016.
Massoud worked as a "technical specialist" for Libya's External Security Organization, making explosive devices and rose to the rank of colonel, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent involved in the investigation.
According to the affidavit, during an interview with a Libyan law enforcement official in 2012, Massoud admitted to building the bomb that brought down Flight 103.
Massoud confirmed that the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing operation was directed by Libyan intelligence leadership," the statement read. Massoud said that after the operation, Gaddafi thanked him and the rest of the team for the successful attack on America.
In an FBI agent's affidavit, Massoud also admitted to being responsible for the Berlin Labelle discothèque bombing in April 1986, which claimed the lives of two American service members and a Turkish woman.
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After an "intense diplomatic effort", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his gratitude to all those who assisted in bringing Masood into US custody.
According to Blinken, "the prosecution of Massoud is the result of years of cooperation between the US and Scottish authorities, as well as prolonged efforts by the Libyan authorities."