December 12, 2022
The Libyan man suspected of making the bomb that detonated as Pan Am Flight 103 flew over Lockerbie, Scotland, 34 years ago next week, is now in U.S. custody and will face charges in Washington, D.C., U.S. and Scottish officials said.
The news during the weekend was a welcome surprise for families of the victims terrorist bombing on Dec. 21, 1988. There were 270 people killed by the explosion, totaling those on the plane and people on the ground. Among them, at least 17 are from South Jersey, Philadelphia or the city's Pennsylvania suburbs.
"This is a testament to the families who have been fighting, and I feel for those who aren't here today to see this moment," Kara Weipz told CBS New York on Sunday. Weipz is president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 organization. Her brother, Rick Monetti, was one of five passengers from Cherry Hill and one of 35 Syracuse University students on Pan Am 103.
The U.S. Justice Department believes Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, of Libya, helped create the bomb that detonated aboard the New York-bound plane. Though he is the third Libyan intelligence operative charged in connection to the terrorist attack, he will be the first to stand trial in the U.S. His charges include destruction of a vehicle by means of an explosive resulting in death and destruction of an aircraft resulting in death, NPR reported.
Al-Marimi was actually charged two years ago while in Libyan custody for unrelated crimes, but the families of the victims learned of his impending trial Sunday.
"This stuff, for 34 years, has been coming out of the blue," Steven Maslowski of Haddonfield, whose sister Diane died in the blast, told the Inquirer. "There was just so much potential snuffed out. And it caused a bad ripple through all the families. For me, it left a void in my life."
The Lockerbie bombing is the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.K. history. The explosion killed all 259 passengers and crew, and 11 people on the ground. The victims included 190 Americans.
Al-Marimi allegedly confessed to his involvement while in Libyan custody, the Associated Press reported. U.S. authorities received a copy of this interview in 2017, and brought charges in 2020.
According to federal officials, Al-Marimi was a Libyan intelligence officer who acted under orders from former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In 1988, Al-Marimi allegedly traveled to Malta, where he met two other Libyan intelligence operatives, Lamen Khalifa Fhimah and Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. Once there, Al-Marimi set a timer inside the suitcase containing the bomb, so that it would detonate 11 hours later, investigators said.
Al-Marimi allegedly passed the suitcase off to Fhimah, who dropped onto a conveyor belt at the airport the next day. Fhimah and Megrahi were charged in 1991, and stood trial in the Netherlands. While Fhimah was acquitted, Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison — a sentence he did not complete. In 2009, he was released upon diagnosis with terminal prostate cancer. He died in Libya in 2012.
It is unclear how Al-Marimi was extradited, but he is expected to appear in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 was created as a tribute to those who died in the bombing. The organization also has sought justice for the victims and been an advocate for improving safety measures in the airline industry. On its website, the group lists the names of everyone who was killed. These are the 17 people known to have connections to the Philadelphia region, along with the ages and hometowns.
• Martin Lewis Apfelbaum, 59, Philadelphia
• David Scott Dornstein, 25, Philadelphia
• Michael Joseph Doyle, 30, years, Voorhees, Camden County
• Patricia Ann Klein, 35, Trenton, Mercer County
• Diane Marie Maslowski, 30, New York (raised in Haddonfield, Camden County)
• Robert Eugene McCollum, 61, Wayne, Delaware County
• Richard Paul Monetti, 20, Cherry Hill, Camden County
• Laura Abigail Owens, 8, Cherry Hill, Camden County
• Martha Owens, 44, Cherry Hill, Camden County
• Robert Plack Owens, 45, Cherry Hill, Camden County
• Sarah Rebecca Owens, 14, Cherry Hill, Camden County
• William Pugh, 56, Margate, Atlantic County
• Diane Marie Rencevicz, 21, Burlington, Burlington County
• Chelsea Marie Woods, 10 months, Willingboro, Burlington County
• Dedera Lynn Woods, 27, Willingboro, Burlington County
• Joe Nathan Woods, 28, Willingboro, Burlington County
• Joe Nathan Woods Jr., 2, Willingboro, Burlington County
Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
