A Libyan man accused of making the bomb which destroyed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie has been taken into custody.
The US announced charges against Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud two years ago, for his alleged role in building the explosive that killed 270 people in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland on December 21, 1988.
The Boeing 747 exploded into pieces almost instantaneously when a bomb in the forward cargo area exploded over the Scottish town at 7.03pm at an altitude of 31,000 feet after 38 minutes of flight.
The plane had taken off from London-Heathrow and was en route to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
It is the deadliest terrorist incident to have taken place on British soil.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service 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.”
Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of mass murder in 2001.
AAIB / Getty ImagesIn 2020, Mas’ud was charged by the US Attorney General William Barr with being the third person involved in the terrorist attack.
At the time, he was said to be in Libyan custody and Mr Barr said US authorities would work “arm in arm” with their Scottish counterparts.
Mr Barr said: “Let there be no mistake, no amount of time or distance will stop the US and our Scottish partners from pursuing justice in this case.”
Megrahi was released from prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds while terminally ill with cancer, and died in Libya in 2012.
In January 2021, his family lost an appeal against his conviction at the High Court in Edinburgh.
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