Judge postpones US trial for Libyan man charged in 1988 Lockerbie bombing

AdvertisementCrimeWorldUnited States & CanadaJudge postpones US trial for Libyan man charged in 1988 Lockerbie bombingThe ex-intelligence official is charged with making the bomb that downed the plane over Scotland, killing 270 people, most of them Americans 2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 7:15am, 25 Aug 2026Updated: 7:20am, 25 Aug 2026A federal judge on Monday postponed a trial in the US for a former Libyan intelligence official charged in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, citing the discovery of new evidence that defence lawyers want to examine in the nearly 40-year-old case. Jury selection was scheduled to begin on Wednesday for the federal trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir al-Marimi in Washington. His trial will be the first in the US for the December 21, 1988, bombing.US District Judge Dabney Friedrich’s order did not specify the nature of the newly discovered evidence. Al-Marimi’s lawyers say prosecutors disclosed the new evidence to them on Saturday and added that their “constitutional and ethical obligations require the defence to investigate this development”. The judge scheduled a September 1 hearing in Washington to discuss the status of the case. Al-Marimi is charged in the US with making the bomb that downed the plane, killing 270 people, most of them Americans. Flight 103 was 9.45km (31,000ft) over Lockerbie, Scotland when a bomb in the plane’s forward cargo area exploded 38 minutes after take-off from London Heathrow Airport. The flight was bound for John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x