Lockerbie bombing suspect's trial postponed for third time after new evidence

The trial of the Libyan man accused of making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 has been postponed for a third time, after his lawyers asked for more time to examine new evidence. The delay came just days before jury selection was due to begin in a Washington courtroom, leaving victims' families frustrated and shocked.

The bombing on 21 December 1988 killed all 259 people on board the flight from Heathrow to New York, and 11 more on the ground in Lockerbie, making it the largest terror attack in British history. The wreckage of the plane's nose cone became a defining image of the disaster, which remains unresolved nearly 40 years later.

Prosecutors say the bomb was built by Abu Ajilah Mohammed Masood Keir al-Marimi, a Libyan who was taken into US custody in 2022. He denies the charge. The only person ever convicted over the bombing was Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, another Libyan, who was jailed for life in 2001 but released on compassionate grounds in 2009 and died of cancer in 2012.

The latest postponement was granted after al-Marimi's defence team said new evidence had emerged three days before the trial was due to start. The judge agreed to the delay at the 11th hour, despite extensive preparation. The defendant's lawyers have not disclosed what the new evidence is, and al-Marimi himself is said not to know. A new start date has been set for January, meaning a verdict may not come until next spring.

Families of the victims spoke of their anguish. One relative said: "There's so much anxiety leading into this week and obviously jury selection this week and with the anticipation of opening statements next week, people were getting ready to travel at the end of the week and then knowing that all of a sudden it's not happening right now, it's just we have to live in this anxiety for another, however long, until we actually get to trial." Another said: "It's like the rug being pulled out from under us. We were prepared for something, we were ready for it, we were planning for it, we were packing for it and now it's not happening."

In Lockerbie, the delay has deepened a sense of waiting. Retired teacher Davy Wilson, who shows visitors around the memorial garden, said: "You don't know what depth of emotion folks are bringing when they walk through the door. Tears regularly. I just don't see it disappearing from the consciousness anytime soon. I mean it will be here for 37 years."

The trial, which was set to take place in Washington, has now been delayed three times. The only certainty for those affected, as one report put it, has been the passing of time. Now there is more delay, and the wait for answers goes on.