Victims’ families ‘absolutely floored’ as Lockerbie bombing trial postponed

A total of 270 people were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded on December 21 1988 (PA) PA Archive Lucinda Cameron 3 minutes ago Relatives of victims of the Lockerbie bombing have said they are “absolutely floored” after the trial of a man charged over the explosion was postponed in the US.

Jury selection was due to begin on Wednesday in Washington DC for the trial of Abu Agila Masud who is charged with making the bomb that destroyed the plane, which he has denied.

All 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21 1988, 40 minutes into its flight from London to New York.

The plane exploded above Lockerbie (PA) PA Archive The discovery of new evidence that defence lawyers want to examine was cited but the nature of the evidence was not specified in the order from US District Judge Dabney Friedrich.

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Former Libyan intelligence officer 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.

He 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.

Kara Weipz, president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, lost her brother Rick Monetti in the atrocity and said she was shocked to hear of the postponement.

She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme: “As we’re processing the shock, there’s a lot of, ‘I can’t believe this is happening’.

“There’s so much anxiety leading into this week and obviously with jury selection this week, and with the anticipation of opening statements next week, people were getting ready to travel at the end of the week – and then knowing that all of a sudden it’s not happening right now, it’s just we have to live in this anxiety for however long until we actually get to trial.

“And you know, everyone needs to stay healthy. You know, everything needs to fall into place. Everything still needs to work out right so that we can have this trial.”

She added: “I was floored today when I found out, absolutely floored.”

The late Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted in relation the attack (Crown Office/PA) PA Media However, she said that while the postponement has come as a surprise, the delay could be worth it if the evidence helps discover more of the truth.