Lockerbie disaster: Man accused of making bomb that blew up Pan Am flight 103 appears in US court
The man accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988 has appeared in a US court.
Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al Marimi appeared in person at the Washington DC federal courthouse.
Dressed in a green jumpsuit, he walked slowly into court and spoke up only to confirm his name. He was not invited to enter a plea.
About 20 people whose relatives died in the bombing were in the public gallery.
Among them was a widow with her daughter and a man with his father who lost his mother.
They were some of many families made incomplete by the biggest terror attack in British history.
“I’ve been doing this [pursuing justice] for 34 years,” one relative, Stephanie Bernstein, told Sky News.
“My daughter was seven when my husband was killed… The United States government is going to take care of its citizens in life and in death… grateful to the Biden administration.”
Dr Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the bombing, said he hoped Mas’ud would eventually tell the bereaved families more about what really happened that day.
“Hopefully he can tell us about how it was done, and contribute to discovering the truth about this ghastly, terrible business.”
The proceedings lasted under an hour and paved the way for a further detention hearing on 27 December.
Mas’ud said, through federal lawyers assigned to him, that he had not yet been able to assign his own legal counsel. He has been given a week to do so, and he will remain in custody.
The 243 passengers and 16 crew on board the plane all died
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Mas’ud has long been sought by prosecutors and suspected of being the “third man” behind the downing of the American plane over Lockerbie in December 34 years ago.
The 747 jumbo was at 31,000ft and just over half an hour into its transatlantic flight from London Heathrow to New York’s JFK airport when a bomb exploded.
The 243 passengers and 16 crew on board the plane all died. On the ground, in the town of Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, 11 more people died as debris fell on to homes.
A painstaking and lengthy investigation combed 845-square miles of Scottish countryside for debris. It concluded that the bomb had been placed inside a cassette player that was wrapped in clothes and placed inside a suitcase.
After the Libyan government claimed responsibility in 2003, two former members of its intelligence service were arrested, extradited and tried.
Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was acquitted. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was found guilty and jailed for life in 2012.
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Suspect Lockerbie bomb maker arrested
Investigators always suspected third man
Megrahi, who failed twice to have his conviction overturned, was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 and died in Libya in 2012.
But investigators always suspected a third man was part of the plot.
In 2011 after the overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi, Mas’ud was taken into custody in Libya as part of a sweep of arrests of regime loyalists.
The following year, he is said to have told a Libyan law-enforcement official that he was the Lockerbie bomb maker.
This apparent confession in 2012 formed the basis of a US Department of Justice case against him which was released in 2020.
The details of how Mas’ud was transferred from Libyan custody to American hands has not been revealed.
Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al-Marimi in US custody
Scotland’s top law officer to meet US officials
The bombing remains the deadliest terror attack in British history. People from 21 counties were killed.
Scotland’s top law officer has welcomed the news that Mas’ud is in US custody.
“The steps taken by the US justice authorities are significant and progress towards a legal breakthrough is welcomed by Scottish prosecutors and police,” Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said.
“The tragic events of December 1988 have bound Scotland and the US together in deep loss and steadfast determination that all those who committed this atrocity should be brought before a court.”
She added: “For more than 20 years, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has maintained a case team working on this investigation, bringing together a range of prosecutorial expertise in counter-terrorism, major crime investigations, forensic analysis, international co-operation and mutual legal assistance.”
Ms Bain said officials in Scotland and the US will continue to investigate the case, “with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with al Megrahi to justice”.
She confirmed she would be meeting American officials next week to discuss the case.
US
Ryan Routh: Man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump faces trial this week – and it could be chaotic
The trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf is due to begin today.
Ryan Routh, 59, was arrested after a rifle was seen poking through bushes at Mr Trump‘s West Palm Beach golf course in Florida on 15 September last year.
The incident occurred weeks after a bullet grazed the president’s ear in another assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Routh, who faces the prospect of life in prison, has pleaded not guilty to all five charges against him. He has also opted to defend himself in court – an unusual move that legal experts say could add an unpredictable element to the trial.
Here is all you need to know as legal proceedings begin in Fort Pierce, Florida.
What did Routh allegedly do?
Prosecutors allege Routh, a construction worker from North Carolina, was “lying in wait” with a rifle near the sixth hole of the Florida golf course when Mr Trump was playing.
A Secret Service agent, who was patrolling the course ahead of Mr Trump, spotted a rifle barrel coming out of a perimeter fence.
After seeing Routh, the agent opened fire, causing him to flee the scene in a black Nissan SUV. He was later arrested on a motorway about 46 miles from the golf course.
Members of the FBI at the Florida golf course last year. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump was uninjured in the incident, and there is no evidence that Routh fired his weapon at the golf course.
Months before his arrest, Routh allegedly wrote a note signalling his intention to kill the president.
The note, which was left in a box at the house of an unidentified person, was headlined “Dear World” and allegedly said: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you.”
A handwritten list of dates and locations where Mr Trump was expected to be was also found on him, according to prosecutors.
What are the charges?
Routh is facing five felony counts in relation to the alleged assassination attempt. They include:
• Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate;
• Possessing a firearm to carry out a violent crime;
• Assaulting a federal officer;
• Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition;
• Possession of a firearm with an obliterated (removed) serial number.
In addition to the federal charges, Routh also has pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.
How will the trial unfold?
The trial will begin on 8 September with the selection of the jury. Lawyers aim to find 12 jurors and four alternates, with the process expected to last three days.
Opening statements are then scheduled to begin on Thursday 11 September, and prosecutors will begin their case immediately after that.
The incident happened weeks after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Pic: Reuters
Prosecutors will have to convince a jury that Routh both intended to kill Mr Trump and took a substantial step toward doing so.
Mr Trump is not expected to attend court or give evidence.
The court has scheduled four weeks for the trial, but lawyers expect it will not last that long.
Why is Routh defending himself?
Routh, who has no formal legal training, is set to deliver opening and closing statements, question witnesses and present evidence on his own behalf.
In a letter to US district judge, Aileen Cannon, Routh said it was “ridiculous” to consider a “random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me”.
He added: “Best I walk alone.”
Routh’s two former lawyers will serve as “standby counsel,” where they can provide him with advice if called upon. He will also face strict limits on his ability to deliver political or ideological arguments at trial.
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Criminal defendants have a legal right to self-representation, but experts say Routh’s decision increases the chance of legal risks.
“If his sole goal is to be acquitted, then his chances probably go down,” Erica Hashimoto, a law professor at Georgetown University, said.
“If he has something else that he’s trying to do by going to trial, then representing himself may be the only way to do that.”
Who is the judge?
District judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Mr Trump during his first term, is presiding over the case.
She also oversaw the criminal case accusing Mr Trump of illegally holding onto classified documents, a case which she threw out, to the consternation of Trump critics.
Judge Aileen Cannon. Pic: US Senate/AP
Ms Cannon has already ruled that some of Routh’s prior writings, which he sought to show the jury, cannot be presented as evidence.
She has also ordered against him using witness testimony as a “tool for calculated chaos”.
It comes as Routh previously suggested trading himself for a prisoner held by China or Iran, and unsuccessfully attempted to subpoena (order to court) Mr Trump himself, according to The New York Times.
The men’s US Open final has been delayed by extra security measures as Donald Trump’s arrival was met by cheers and boos from fans at Flushing Meadows.
The match between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the world’s top two players, was pushed back by half an hour in New York on Sunday before Alcaraz won three sets to one.
The US president was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from early arriving spectators when he waved from a suite at the Arthur Ashe Stadium about 45 minutes before the match began.
Crowds waiting to enter the Arthur Ashe Stadium for the US Open men’s singles final. Pic: AP
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the US Open tennis men’s singles final. Pic: AP
Increased security checks at entrances to the grounds and to get into the arena building prompted the US Tennis Association to move the start time to 2.30pm, local time, instead of 2pm.
Organisers said it was “to ensure that fans have additional time to get to their seats.”
A spokesperson for the US Tennis Association said it “was not a request made by the White House”.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning the US Open men’s singles title. Pic: Reuters
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Pic: AP
Despite the change, the 24,000-capacity arena was only about two-thirds full when the first point was played, while thousands of fans still were standing outside the court, waiting in line to enter.
Mr Trump, who is the first sitting president to attend the tournament at Flushing Meadows since Bill Clinton in 2000, was booed again when he appeared for the National Anthem.
Standing up and saluting, the president was shown briefly on the arena’s big screens during the anthem, and offered a smirk that briefly made the boos louder.
Movie star Ben Stiller. Pic: AP
Anna Wintour. Pic: AP
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Always a big celebrity draw, the final attracted, among others, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Hollywood stars Ben Stiller and Danny DeVito, director Spike Lee and basketball player Steph Curry.
Donald Trump has signalled his intention to send troops to Chicago to ramp up the deportation of illegal immigrants – by posting an AI-generated parody image from Apocalypse Now on social media.
There were protests in the city, the largest in Illinois, on Saturday night, with thousands of people marching past Trump Tower to demonstrate against possible immigration raids.
That came as the US president ramped up his threats to deploy federal authorities and military personnel in Chicago, as he has done in Los Angeles and Washington DC.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself as a military officer in the movie Apocalypse Now, with the title changed to “Chipocalypse Now” over flames and the city skyline.
The post – a screenshot from X – said: “‘I love the smell of deportations in the morning…’. Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.”
Pic: Truth Social
Mr Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rename the Pentagon as the Department of War.
“The President of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a post on X, responding to Mr Trump’s post.
“This is not normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.”
Mr Pritzker previously said that he believed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids would coincide with Mexican Independence Day festivals scheduled for this weekend and next weekend.
Some Mexican festivals in the Chicago area were postponed or cancelled over the threatened stings.
A protest against threatened immigration raids in Chicago on Saturday. Pic: AP
A military deployment in Chicago has long been reported. Last month, the Pentagon was said to be drafting plans to send the US Army to Illinois.
In a statement responding to that report, originally from The Washington Post, Mr Pritzker said the state had “made no requests for federal intervention” and accused Mr Trump of “attempting to manufacture a crisis”.
Vice president JD Vance said on Wednesday that there were “no immediate plans” to send the National Guard to Chicago.
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ICE arrests 475 Hyundai workers
On Thursday, ICE agents carried out a raid at a Hyundai car battery plant in Georgia, saying 475 people, mostly South Koreans, were found to be illegally working there.
It marked the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE.
The day after the raid, ICE posted a video and photos of workers shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles getting on a bus.
South Korean junior foreign minister Park Yoon-joo told a US government official in a phone call that the video release was regrettable.
Seoul’s foreign ministry added the post came “at a critical time, when the momentum of trust and cooperation” between the two countries, forged through their first summit, “must be maintained”.
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