For decades, Lockerbie bombing families wanted attackers to face US justice. They’re still waiting

The families of victims of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in Scotland have been advocating for the perpetrators to face justice in a U.S. courtroom for nearly four decades. The colossal collection of 76 statues in Suse Lowenstein's backyard in Montauk, New York, represents the grief of women whose loved ones were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed over Lockerbie.

Lowenstein, whose son was aboard the flight, remains steadfast in her desire to see the culprits brought to justice. Now, they must wait for the terrorism trial of the alleged bombmaker, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, set to begin in Washington, D.C., but postponed due to the discovery of new evidence. Al-Marimi, a former Libyan intelligence officer, is the first to be prosecuted on American soil in connection with the attack, which killed 270 people, mostly Americans.

The case gained traction in 2017 when U.S. officials obtained a 2012 interview in which Al-Marimi admitted building the bomb and working with two conspirators. Despite obtaining new evidence, a judge postponed the trial, citing undisclosed reasons. Family members of victims have expressed their disappointment, feeling that the delay is yet another impediment to achieving justice, rather than a resolution.