The FBI has launched an international search for victims of the Lockerbie bombing nearly 36 years after the atrocity that killed 270 people.
The US intelligence agency is looking for people directly affected by the 1988 attack on Pan Am Flight 103, including for “emotional injuries”.
The appeal comes ahead of the US federal court trial of Abu Agila Masud, who is charged with “destruction of an aircraft resulting in death.”
This is being done with the aim of ensuring victims around the world have remote access to court proceedings in Washington DC.
In a notice to Lockerbie victims, the FBI says the U.S. Congress has passed legislation to allow victims of the case to have remote access to court proceedings.
The bombing of PanAm Flight 103 in December 1988 killed 11 people in the Scottish town of Lockerbie and all passengers and crew on board the plane.
Victims are defined as those who were at or near the scene in Lockerbie when the attack occurred or a close relative or person of similar significance to someone killed or injured in the attack.
All 259 passengers and crew on board the flight from London to New York were killed when the device exploded. A further 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed when debris fell on their homes.
In 2020, the United States announced charges against Masud, the Libyan leader, on the 32nd anniversary of the attack. Then-Attorney General William P. Barr said the operation had been ordered by senior Libyan intelligence officials. He also said that Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s leader from 1969 to 2011, had personally thanked Masud for his work.
At the time the charges were announced, Mas’ud was in custody in Libya on an unrelated case. He was released into U.S. custody in December 2022 and his trial is scheduled to begin next May.
He will be the first person accused of involvement in the attack to be tried in a US court.
Abdelbaset Al Megrahi and co-defendant Al Amin Khalifa Fahima were tried in a Scottish court based in the Netherlands during 2000 and 2001. Megrahi was convicted of mass murder and sent to Scotland to serve a life sentence. Fahima was acquitted and returned to Libya.
Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is in custody, is accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie 36 years ago
The Scottish Government released Megrahi, who was terminally ill, on compassionate grounds in 2009, three years before he died of cancer.
Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the attack, has long believed Megrahi was innocent and doubted Libya’s involvement.
Dr Swire welcomed the decision to define as victims of the bombing those who witnessed what happened at Lockerbie, if they were harmed.
He told the BBC: ‘Those affected by any disaster should never be restricted from accessing the aftermath of that disaster.
“That’s why I think it’s a good decision and I fully support it.”
In a statement accompanying the FBI’s request, the bureau said: “We understand that this notice may be unexpected and raise questions for many who are connected to this tragedy.
‘Please accept our apologies for any apprehension caused by this sudden contact and rest assured that we have a dedicated team of people ready to address any concerns you may have about this process.’
A Crown Office spokesman said they continued to support the US Department of Justice and the FBI in prosecuting Masud.