A Libyan suspect in the 1988 bombing of a passenger plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, has been detained in the United States, US and Scottish authorities announced Sunday.
“The families of those killed in the Lockerbie attack have been informed that the suspect, Abu Akela Masoud Geir al-Marimi, is in US custody,” the State Administrative Services and Tax Administration said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed the news, saying the suspect will make his first appearance before a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Pan Am Flight 103, traveling from London to New York, exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing 259 people on board and 11 on the ground.
It was the deadliest terrorist attack on British soil.
In December 2020, the 32nd anniversary of the attack, the US Department of Justice announced new charges against al-Marimi.
“Finally, this man responsible for killing Americans and countless others will be brought to justice for his crimes,” then-Attorney General William Barr told a news conference.
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