The trial of a Libyan man accused over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been postponed for a third time, after new evidence emerged days before jury selection was due to begin in Washington DC. Jury selection had been scheduled to start on Wednesday, but the court has now set a new start date for January next year, according to the BBC. New Evidence prompts Further DelayThe postponement follows disclosure of “newly discovered evidence” that was not previously known to the defence or prosecutors, with the information coming to light on Friday 21 August. Abu Agila Mohammad Kheir Al-Marimi, 37, denies building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988, killing 270 people. Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi. Source Facebook His legal team told the court that constitutional and ethical obligations require the defence to investigate the development. They said they met Al-Marimi on Sunday and he agreed they should seek the adjournment. The trial judge, Dabney Friedrich, granted the request and set aside the planned start date, highlighting the potential importance of the new material. What Lawyers And Judge SaidFriedrich’s decision also underlined that an end-of-week postponement would be difficult after months of preparation and extended pre-trial legal proceedings. For the families of the victims and for Al-Marimi, the latest delay raises the prospect that a verdict could be reached only in the spring. Al-Marimi has been held in US custody since 2022. He was originally due to stand trial in May 2025, but that date was put aside after a joint request by the prosecution and defence citing the complexity of the case and Al-Marimi’s ill health. The trial was later pencilled in for April this year, but was called off again after the defence asked for additional time to prepare. Background To The Lockerbie CasePan Am 103 was travelling from Heathrow to New York when a bomb exploded in the aircraft’s forward hold, breaking the plane apart at about 31,000 feet. All 259 people on board—passengers and crew—died. Another 11 people were killed on the ground in Lockerbie after wreckage fell on homes. Of the victims, 190 were American and 43 were from the UK. Nearly four decades on, the attack remains the worst terrorist incident and mass murder in British history. The bombing has been investigated through a joint effort between Scottish and US authorities since December 1988. Prosecutors from the Crown Office and detectives from Police Scotland were due to travel to Washington for the trial, with Scottish witnesses expected to be among the first to give evidence. Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said the adjournment would be disappointing for families and those who have followed the case, adding that it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons because the matter remains before the court. She said Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain committed to supporting the pursuit of justice. Links To The Earlier Scottish TrialThe case has also been tied to proceedings at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands in the early 2000s. Three judges heard the matter there after the Libyan men were brought to face trial in Scotland. Following eight months of hearings, the court concluded the attack was state-sponsored terrorism carried out by members of the Libyan intelligence service. Abdulbasset Al-Megrahi was convicted of mass murder and jailed for life. He later died from cancer in 2012 after being released on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government. A second defendant, Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, was acquitted and returned to Tripoli. The US government says Al-Marimi admitted involvement when he was questioned in a Libyan detention facility in 2012. The alleged confession was handed to Scottish investigators in 2017 and is central to the prosecution case. Al-Marimi has said the confession is false and was made under duress, but judge Friedrich ruled it can be admitted as evidence. Ahead of the new scheduled start date, campaigner Kara Weipz, president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group, said she was shocked by the postponement and urged families to stay hopeful that they will be able to see the trial completed. Join the discussion? 25 August 2026
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