Man cleared over Lockerbie bombing dies – reports

A Libyan man acquitted after standing trial over the Lockerbie bombing has died, according to reports.

Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was cleared of involvement in the bombing which killed 270 people when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21 1988.

His co-accused, the late Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, is the only man convicted in relation to the bombing, after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges sitting at a special court in the Hague in 2001.

Fhimah’s death was announced “with deep sorrow and profound grief” in a Facebook post by Libyan Airlines for which he previously worked.

Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, the Libyan man acquitted after standing trial over the Lockerbie bombing, has died, according to reports (Crown Office/PA)

It said: “We extend our heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathy to his noble family and all his colleagues and loved ones.”

He worked in Malta for Libyan Airlines where he was station manager for several years, and left just before the bombing.

Megrahi was sent to prison in Scotland but was controversially granted compassionate release in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, returning home to Libya where he died in 2012.

Another man charged over the explosion is due to stand trial in the US.

Jury selection had been due to begin this week in the trial of Abu Agila Masud who is charged with making the bomb that destroyed the plane, which he has denied.

It has now been postponed, with a further hearing scheduled to take place in Washington next month to discuss the status of the case.