Victim's father 'not at all surprised' as Lockerbie trial is postponed

Archive photo of the Lockerbie plane wreckage.Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

The trial of a man accused of making the bomb involved in the Lockerbie disaster, has been postponed just days before it was due to start.

Jury selection was set 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 LockerbieCredit: PA

On Monday, a federal judge in the US postponed the trial.

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.

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.

Rev John, alongside his wife Lisa, their daughter Helga who died in the Lockerbie disaster and their son, Marcus.Credit: Family handout

Rev John Mosey, whose 19-year-old daughter Helga died in the Lockerbie attack, told ITV News he had suspicions that it wouldn't go ahead.

Reacting to this morning's postponement, he said: "Not at all surprised, in fact I'd have been surprised if it hadn't been postponed.

"I think there is something going on. This has now been postponed for has it been two, three years? And one has to ask ones self, why? And in this case they say it's new evidence.

"I can't take it seriously, or we're finding it very difficult to take it seriously, but we are trying. Because of how much it's been postponed, and because of the dishonesty and jiggery pokery that's been going on since the first trial and right through."

Asked if he thinks the trial will ever go ahead, he added: "I think they are hoping that this gentleman will pass away and they won't have to produce any evidence. Close the book. Close the case, and that's it. That's my feeling, I may be wrong of course."

The late Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted in relation the attackCredit: Crown Office/PA

A hearing is scheduled to take place in Washington next month to discuss the status of the case.

Scottish prosecutors have always maintained that Megrahi acted with others in carrying out the attack.

Commenting on the postponement, Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “I recognise that this adjournment will be disappointing for the families and for those who have followed this case over many years.

“As the matter remains before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for the adjournment.

“Although these proceedings are being led by the United States authorities, Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain fully committed to supporting the pursuit of justice.”