Any prison sentence would be served in Scotland. Over three years, investigators from the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries questioned more than 15,000 people in more than 30 countries and collected thousands of pieces of evidence. As a result, the United States and the United Nations Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Libya. Bush. Her family, from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, said: "Helen will live on in the hearts of her family and her many, many friends". Two hundred fifty-nine people on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 were killed, along with 11 people on the ground. The reconstructed remains of Pan Am Flight 103, used by investigators, lie in a warehouse in England. In December 1988 a bomb downed the jet, leaving 270 dead. criminal charges against former Libyan intelligence officer Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi. There is no prescribed punishment for a conviction of conspiracy to murder. Helen Jones, 28, a Scottish (London-based) accountant, who had previously escaped death in 1988 when wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 crashed upon Lockerbie. CNN's Nic Robertson found al-Megrahi under the care of his family in his palatial Tripoli villa in 2011, surviving on oxygen and an intravenous drip. And 11 persons on the ground were killed. Afterward, United States and British investigators found fragments of a circuit board and a timer, and ruled that a bomb, not mechanical failure, caused the explosion. The CIA and FBI said the suspects, employed by Libyan Arab Airlines in Malta, were also Libyan intelligence agents. On December 21, 1988, at approximately 1900 GMT, Pan American World Airways Flight 103 pushed back from the gate at Terminal 3 and began its ill-fated journey from London’s Heathrow International Airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. Here are a few sources to support that this is the common name, they all refer to it … It’s been 30 years since the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. Pan Am Flight 103; Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial; Pan Am Flight 103 conspiracy theories – As per WP:COMMONNAME, This incident is almost always known as the Lockerbie bombing. Pan Am flight 103 was en route from Heathrow to New York on December 21 1988 when it was blown out of the sky by a bomb which exploded in the cargo hold. Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and 11on the ground. Updated 2204 GMT (0604 HKT) December 22, 2020. In February 1989, family members established Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 Inc. Investigators believed that two Libyan intelligence agents were responsible for the bombing; many speculated that the attack had been retaliation for a 1986 U.S. bombing campaign against Libya’s capital city, Tripoli. Lesser charges of conspiracy to murder and violating Britain's 1982 Aviation Security Act were dropped. Corsehill Quarry, operating since 1820, has provided stones for many buildings in the United States, most notably the … In April, they held a demonstration outside the White House and met with then-President George H.W. terrorist bombing, over Lockerbie, Scotland, United Kingdom [1988]. Roses adorn the Lockerbie memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. Wreckage of the downed aircraft hit houses in the Scottish town of Lockerbie. In 2001, after an investigation that involved interviewing 15,000 people and examining 180,000 pieces of evidence, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 20 (later 27) years in prison. Take a look at these pictures. Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial (Lockerbie Memorial Cairn) ... Scotland, about eight miles southeast of Lockerbie and below the flight path of Flight 103. Matthew Gannon spent the majority of his childhood in San Juan Capistrano, California. All 259 passengers and crew members were killed. The suspects were tried in a Scottish court at Camp Zeist, a former US air base 20 miles south of the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. He didn’t think much of the change. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. The How, Why and Who of Pan Am Flight 103 is an attempt to summarise the story of Pan Am Flight 103 which on 21 December 1988 exploded at 31,000 feet killing all 259 people on board, and 11 in the town of Lockerbie, Scotland. The plane’s wings, along with … The Dutch declared 30 acres of the 100-acre base Scottish territory so that the trial could be held in a neutral country as al Megrahi, Fhimah and. The unaccompanied bag is believed to have been transferred to a Pan Am flight to London and then to Flight 103. He was the eighth of ten children from a devoutly Catholic family. Although the passengers aboard the plane came from 21 countries, the majority of them were Americans, and the attack increased terrorism fears in the United States. During high school Matt worked for a local farm, setting up irrigation lines, planting crops, plowing and cultivating the land, and transporting fruit and vegetables to local markets. Something like a great circle-based fight path, still standard today, but from local weather problems arcing around Ireland, northeast across Great Britain to its rocky far corner. The bomb, constructed with the odourless plastic explosive Semtex, was hidden in a cassette player that was stored in a suitcase. The twisted remains of Pan Am flight 103 lie in a forgotten heap – 30 years after a terrorist bomb sent it crashing into the town of Lockerbie. Omissions? The reconstructed remains of Pan Am flight 103 lie in a warehouse in Farnborough, England. Why after taking off in London did it fly all the way to Lockerbie instead of going directly to New York? (CNN)Here's a look at the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... A section of the cockpit of Pan Am flight 103, after it was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988. The plane had reached a height of approximately 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and was preparing for the oceanic portion of the flight when a timer-activated bomb detonated. …destroying a civilian airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The Lockerbie bombing took place on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky. In the late 1990s, in an effort to placate the international community, Libya turned over the alleged perpetrators of the bombing to international authorities and accepted a ruling by the international court in The Hague stating that the contested Aozou territory…, …responsible for the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Thanks for identifying this 'contradiction'. He also worked as a restaurant waiter. Although both BP and the U.K. government denied that Megrahi was discussed specifically, in 2009 British justice minister Jack Straw had stated that BP’s business dealings with the Libyan government were a factor in considering his case. [1] Large sections of the aircraft crashed onto a residential … Pan Am flight 103, also called Lockerbie bombing, flight of a passenger airliner operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, after a bomb was detonated. In San Francisco Mueller improved performance by reassigning supervisors, implementing tough…. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Life imprisonment is the prescribed punishment for murder or contravention of the Aviation Security Act 1982. This group is comprised of family members and friends of those whose lives ended when a terrorist bomb exploded on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. Corrections? The death penalty is not permitted under Scottish law. On board this Boeing 747, the Clipper Maid of the Seas, sat 243 passengers and 16 crew, 259 souls. President Gadhafi paid $2.7 billion compensation to family members of individuals killed in the bombing. Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi refused to turn over the two suspects. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Pan-Am-flight-103, CIA - The World Factbook - Terrorist Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. In March, the group testified in front of the Senate. Falling wreckage destroyed 21 houses and killed an additional 11 people on the ground. However, after a brief spell of attention, this angle of the bombing was not pursued by the commercially-controlled media. The flight plan passes roughly over Glasgow and, as "Rolfe" noted, nearly over the fabled Isle of Skye. Like the rest of the site, it is a work in progress, not necessarily to be regarded as definitive. About 7:00 pm on December 21, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. On weekends and in summers h… Trento had originally planned to leave for the U.S. a few hours later that day, on Pan Am Flight 103. A Boeing 747-121A passenger plane, registered N739PA, was destroyed in a criminal occurrence at Lockerbie, United Kingdom. The plane had reached a height of approximately 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and was preparing for the oceanic portion of the flight when a timer-activated bomb detonated. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In August 2003, Libya accepted responsibility for "the actions of its officials" in respect of the bombing Pan Am Flight 103, but was silent on the question of the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking. Only in 2004 did the United States resume direct diplomatic ties with Libya. The flight was supposed to be a direct flight from Frankfurt, GE, to New York, not Pan Am Flight 103 which was routed through London, UK. Among his various other appointments, he served as U.S. attorney in two regions: the District of Massachusetts (Boston, 1986–87) and the Northern District of California (San Francisco, 1998–2001). By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. But his mother, concerned about a potentially long layover in Kennedy, decided to switch him to an earlier flight, Pan Am Flight 101. The hero's welcome given to al Megrahi in Libya after his early release from jail caused outrage among victims' families. The Libyan government eventually agreed to pay damages to the families of the victims of the attack. Was Flight 914 A Time Traveling Plane?Please like our videos and subscribe to our channel. The other man, Lamin Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted. The airplane operated on a flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) to New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Pan Am Flight 103 was a flight from Frankfurt to Detroit with stops in London and New York. Pan Am Flight 103 was a Pan American World Airways passenger flight that flew … While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. This site is the official homepage of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. More U.S. civilians died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which took place 25 years ago from Saturday, than in … The blast broke the plane into thousands of pieces that landed in an area covering roughly 850 square miles (2,200 square km). Pan Am Flight 103 was flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, when a terrorist bomb exploded on board. New legislation took off quickly. The suitcase containing the bomb was labeled with the name of one of the US passengers on the plane and was inadvertently placed on the wrong plane possibly by airport ground crew members in Frankfurt. Al Megrahi, pictured in Tripoli in 1992, was not convicted until 2001. In July 2010 an investigation spurred by U.S. senators revealed that oil company BP had lobbied for a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Libya. Any punishment is at the discretion of the court. In 2009 Megrahi, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, was released from prison in Scotland on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya; the United States strongly disagreed with the Scottish government’s decision. Updates? This Category comprises Articles where the article's subject is primarily noted for its connection to Pan Am Flight 103.The article should be related to subject of the main Pan Am Flight 103 article and its subtopic articles (currently alternative theories into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial). In 1998 Qaddafi finally accepted a proposal to extradite the men. The highest profile victim aboard Pan Am Flight 103 was UN Commissioner for Namibia, Bernt Carlsson, on his way to attend a ceremony at United Nations headquarters in New York the next day when South Africa agreed to grant independence to Namibia. All 259 people on board were killed, and 11 individuals on the ground also died. Authorities said al Megrahi and Fhimah manufactured the bomb out of Semtex plastic explosives, concealed it in a Toshiba cassette recorder, hid the recorder in a Samsonite suitcase and slipped the suitcase aboard an Air Malta flight headed from Malta to Frankfurt, Germany. Pan Am Airlines went bankrupt three years after Flight 103's expolsion. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day bonus! About 7:00 pm on December 21, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. There were 243 passengers and crew members on board. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via London and New York.On 21 December 1988, N739PA, the aircraft operating the transatlantic leg of the route was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew in what became known as the Lockerbie bombing. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.