A Libyan man recently taken into U.S. custodyfor his suspected involvement in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland is due to appear in court today.
Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir al-Marimi [Mas’ud] is charged with making the bomb that detonated on the flight. All 259 passengers on the flight were killed in the explosion, along with 11 residents of Lockerbie. Among the dead were 35 Syracuse University studentswho were studying abroad.
In a statement, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud said described the arrest as a “significant milestone in a decades-long process to bring those responsible for this despicable act to justice.”
Syverud added that the university community “stands with all the victims’ families, friends and loved ones who have continued to seek justice for more than three decades.”
The suspect is one of several individuals who have been charged in connection with the attack.
Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah were previously charged as co-conspirators in the attack. Megrahi was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2001, but was released after being diagnosed with cancer and died in 2012. Fhimah was ultimately acquitted of the charges.
To this day, the Lockerbie Bombing is the deadliest act of terrorism to occur on UK soil.
Mas’ud is currently in custody and is set to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. EST.
This is a developing story and more details will be published as they become available.