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Man Cleared over Lockerbie Bombing Dies – Reports
Libyan Airlines announced his death as the Lockerbie bombing case continues to draw attention, with 270 people killed in the 1988 attack.
Amin Khalifa Fhimah, a Libyan man acquitted of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing, has died. Libyan Airlines announced his passing "with deep sorrow and profound grief" in a Facebook post.
PanAm Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people. While Fhimah was acquitted, his co-accused Abdelbaset was found guilty of 270 counts of murder by Scottish judges at the Hague in 2001.
Another man, Abu Agila Masud, remains charged with making the bomb that destroyed the plane, which he has denied. Jury selection for his trial in Washington had been scheduled to begin this week.
District Judge Dabney Friedrich postponed the trial to examine new evidence. Stephanie Bernstein, vice president of the Victims of PanAm Flight 103 group, expressed "astonishment" at the delay, noting many family members are elderly.
A further hearing is scheduled to take place in Washington next month to discuss the case status. Defense lawyers requested additional time to examine the new evidence discovered.
Libyan Al-Amin Khalifa Fhima, who was previously acquitted of the murder of 270 people in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York, has died at the age of 70. The exact date of Fhima's death has not been announced, but his funeral will be held on Wednesday.