Lockerbie bombing suspect's trial delayed again

Volume of potential evidence among reasons for delay while Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Al Marimi sits in custody

The trial of a suspect accused of building the bomb that brought down a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in Scotland in December 1988 has been plagued by delays. AFP

The US trial of Lockerbie bombing suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Al Marimi has been delayed again.

In 1988, all 259 people on board a Pan Am flight died in a bomb attack and 11 people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie, southern Scotland, by falling debris on December 21, shortly after the plane took off from London bound for New York.

Jury selection for Mr Al Marimi's trial had been set to begin in April 2026, but that date has been vacated, according to a recently filed court decision seen by The National on Sunday.

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A summary from a Washington district court hearing in October explains several reasons for the much-anticipated trial's continued delays.

"An attorney on the defence team – who has represented Mr Al Marimi since the inception of this case – recently became aware of a conflict that required him to withdraw from the case," the summary reads in part.

Lockerbie bombing suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Masud's trial had previously been expected to begin in April of 2026.

The sheer volume of evidence is also mentioned as being troublesome for the trial timeline.

"Existing discovery in this case has come in the form of 10 productions, totalling over 356 gigabytes of data and consisting of over 413,000 separate files," the court document continues.

It said that Mr Al Marimi is eager for the case to get under way but "understands the challenges that his current attorneys face."

Judge Dabney Friedrich's decision to delay the trial rooted in 37-year investigation, was made on Wednesday according to court filings.

The US government initially filed charges against Mr Al Marimi in 2020, but it took more than two years to extradite him from Libya. His health problems, lawyer changes and logistical problems have caused the trial planning to move at a snail's pace.

Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Al Marimi in an Alexandria, Virginia, Sheriff's Office photograph. Reuters

In 2023, Mr Al Marimi pleaded not guilty in connection to one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in UK and US history.

Only one other person, former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, has been convicted for the bombing.

A court transcript seen by The National shows the methodical and vast nature of the case. At least three depositions of foreign citizens will have to take place outside the US before the trial begins, according to the court transcript.

Although specifics are not disclosed, Mr Marimi's health problems have also been discussed at length.

His court-appointed lawyers had previously promised to provide updates about his medical condition to better prevent any delays.

During a recent appearance before Judge Friedrich back in June, Mr Al Marimi limped into court and donned headphones to listen to the status conference in Arabic.

The sheer volume of potential evidence from the 37-year investigation into the Lockerbie bombing has contributed to to trial delays.

He looked straight ahead for the whole proceedings, never glancing at victims' families, who took up several rows of court seats.

Of the victims, 190 were US citizens, along with people from the UK and Argentina, India, South Africa and Spain, among others.