An alleged confession from Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a suspect in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, will be permitted as evidence in his trial in the United States, a judge has ruled. Lawyers for Al-Marimi had sought to have the statement ruled inadmissible, claiming it was false and made under duress.
The document is now set to be a central part of the prosecution's case when the postponed trial commences at a federal court in Washington DC later this month. Al-Marimi, a Libyan national, has denied making and priming the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Dumfries and Galloway on 21 December 1988.
The bombing resulted in the deaths of all 259 passengers and crew on board, along with 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie. Of the victims, 190 were American and 43 were from the UK. The incident remains the deadliest plane crash and terror attack in British history.
Al-Marimi has been in American custody since 2022 and has pleaded not guilty to charges of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. Jury selection for his trial is scheduled to get underway at the end of this month.