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US judge rules alleged confession of Lockerbie bombing suspect can be used in trial
Overview
A US federal judge has ruled that an alleged confession by Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, the Libyan accused of building the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, can be used as evidence in his upcoming trial. Mas'ud's lawyers had argued that the confession should be inadmissible because it was not the original document and was allegedly made under duress in Libya, but Judge Dabney Friedrich denied the motion.
Key points
- A US judge ruled that an alleged confession by Lockerbie bombing suspect Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is admissible in court.
- Mas'ud's defence lawyers had sought to bar the document because it is not the original.
- The accused denies building the bomb for the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 attack, claiming he was forced into a false confession under duress in Libya.
- The trial is scheduled for April next year in a federal court in Washington.
- Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed on 21 December 1988, resulting in the deaths of 270 people.