US Accused of Abducting Lockerbie Suspect

Image copyright: Reuters [via The Guardian]

The Facts

  • The US has been accused of abducting Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan man who allegedly made the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. Mas'ud appeared in a federal court in Washington DC prior to being formally charged last week.

  • Libya's prime minister, Abdulhamid al-Dbaiba, admitted last week that his administration was involved in Mas'ud's capture in the Libyan capital. Critics have claimed that Mas'ud was illegally abducted by militias associated with al-Dbaiba's Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.


The Spin

Narrative A

Justice is finally here for those killed in the Lockerbie bombing. Gaddafi, who at the time was opposed to the West, was guilty of many things, including ordering this terror attack. Hopefully, the victims' families will have closure now that another perpetrator will also be held accountable.

Narrative B

Though the mainstream media have always blamed Libya and Gaddafi for the Lockerbie bombing, the truth is far murkier. Much of the "evidence" against al-Megrahi and the Libyan state was fabricated or otherwise manipulated, and it's quite possible that Iran was behind the Lockerbie bombing in retaliation for the US downing of an Iranian civilian airliner. The US should follow the evidence instead of embellishing the facts to fit a pre-determined outcome.