US prosecutors say Libyan freely confessed to Lockerbie bombing
Key Takeaways
- US prosecutors claim Libyan Abu Agila Mas'ud freely confessed in 2012 to involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and other attacks.
- Mas'ud's defense lawyers are attempting to suppress the confession, arguing it was obtained under duress after he was abducted following the 2011 Libyan revolution.
- The US Department of Justice asserts the statement was voluntary, reliable, and will be corroborated by other evidence.
- Mas'ud is also accused of involvement in the 1986 Berlin nightclub bombing and an attempted assassination of a US Secretary of State.
- Mas'ud has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in Washington D.C. in April.
US prosecutors are relying on an alleged 2012 confession from Libyan national Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir al-Marimi, who is accused of building the bomb for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people, as well as other attacks against Americans. Mas'ud, a former intelligence colonel, claims he was forced by three masked men to confess under duress while held in a Libyan detention facility after the 2011 revolution. His lawyers are actively fighting to suppress this statement from being used as evidence in his trial scheduled for April in Washington D.C. The Department of Justice counters that the confession was voluntary, reliable, and can be corroborated by independent evidence, arguing that the facility where he was questioned was the 'safest place' for him at the time. Mas'ud also allegedly admitted involvement in the 1986 Berlin nightclub bombing and an attempted assassination of a US Secretary of State. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been in US custody since 2022.
