OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:22 PM PT – Monday, December 12, 2022
The Libyan man responsible for making the bomb behind the December 1988 terrorist attack made his initial court appearance in.
On Monday, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi was formally charged in connection with the Lockerbie bombing of 1988. He was informed of the three criminal counts that he has been charged with during his court appearance.
He chose not to enter a plea citing the need to retain counsel before the proceedings to which the judge granted.
Some of the charges include “destruction of aircraft resulting in death.” This carries the death penalty, a life sentence, and a fine of up to $250,000 or a combination of the prison sentence and fine.
The Lockerbie bombing took place in 1988 when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff.
All 259 passengers and crew members aboard the New York-bound Boeing 747 were killed as well as 11 people that were on the ground.
Prosecutors stated that they do not plan to pursue the death penalty because the punishment was not constitutionally available when the crime was committed.
A pre-trial detention hearing has been scheduled for December 27th.