A US judge has ordered jury selection to begin on 19 January 2027 in the trial of a Libyan man accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi faces two charges connected to the destruction of the aircraft. He has pleaded not guilty. The case is being heard in a federal court in Washington, according to Reuters.
Why the trial was delayed
Jury selection had been due to begin in August. The judge postponed it shortly before the trial after defence lawyers said they needed more time to examine newly disclosed evidence. The move to early 2027 had been reported previously; Monday’s order provides a specific date for jury selection.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988 after leaving London for New York. All 259 passengers and crew were killed, along with 11 people on the ground. US prosecutors allege Mas’ud made the bomb, an allegation that remains to be tested at trial.
The proceedings will be closely watched by families of those killed, many of whom have waited nearly four decades for this part of the case to reach a US jury.
