The trial of a Libyan man accused of involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been postponed for the third time after new evidence reportedly emerged just days before the case was due to begin.
Jury selection was expected to start in Washington, DC, this week, but the judge has now set aside the date. The trial is expected to begin in January next year.
Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi, who has been in US custody since 2022, has denied building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103.
His lawyers said they discovered new evidence on 21 August that was previously unknown to both the defence and US prosecutors. They argued that they needed additional time to investigate the information and prepare their case.
The Lockerbie bombing happened on 21 December 1988, when a bomb exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. All 259 people on the aircraft were killed, while another 11 people died on the ground.
The victims included 190 Americans and 43 Britons, making the attack one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in British history.
Al-Marimi’s trial was originally scheduled for 2025 but has already been delayed because of the complexity of the case and his health. The latest postponement means that relatives of the victims may have to wait even longer for the case to reach trial and potentially hear new evidence about what happened nearly four decades ago.
The judge’s decision follows a request from both Al-Marimi’s defence team and the prosecution to allow the new evidence to be properly examined.
