Judge postpones US trial for Libyan man charged in 1988 Lockerbie bombing

A federal judge has delayed the US trial of a former Libyan intelligence official accused of involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, citing the discovery of new evidence. Jury selection was set to commence on Wednesday for the trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi in Washington DC. The trial will mark the first in the US for the December 21, 1988, attack over Lockerbie, Scotland, which claimed the lives of 270 individuals, primarily Americans.

US District Judge Dabney Friedrich's decision did not specify the nature of the new evidence. Al-Marimi's legal team revealed the new evidence to prosecutors on Saturday, prompting their obligation to investigate. Defense attorney Laura Koenig declined to provide further details. The judge has scheduled a September 1 hearing in Washington to address the case's progress.

Friedrich's brief order highlighted the intricate nature of the case, the newly discovered evidence, and the need for the defense to determine their best defense strategy as reasons for postponing the trial. Al-Marimi is charged with crafting the bomb that caused the plane crash. Flight 103 was cruising at 31,000 feet (9.45km) when a bomb in its cargo hold detonated 38 minutes after departing London Heathrow Airport.

The explosion claimed the lives of all 259 passengers and crew members and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, destroying an entire city block. Victims from 21 countries perished, including 190 Americans and 43 from the United Kingdom. Among the deceased was Kara Weipz's brother Richard Monetti, who was one of the 35 Syracuse University students returning home from a semester abroad.

Kara Weipz, the president of the non-profit Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, expressed shock at the delay but emphasized the importance of hearing all the facts. US prosecutors claim that Al-Marimi and others carried out the bombing under the orders of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was removed and killed during a 2011 civil war.

Two other Libyan intelligence agents faced trial by a panel of Scottish judges in 2000, convicting one and acquitting the other, but the identity of the bombmaker remained unknown for years. Al-Marimi, now in his mid-70s, is charged with two counts of destroying an aircraft resulting in death, facing a potential life sentence if found guilty.

Al-Marimi served with the Libyan intelligence service from around 1973 to 2011, reaching the rank of colonel, according to prosecutors. Investigators believe he carried a suitcase containing the bomb to Malta and handed it over to co-conspirators for a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. The suitcase then traveled to London, where it was loaded onto Flight 103.