Abu Agila Masud, a Libyan intelligence official recently extradited to U.S. over suspected involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, is not currently facing criminal proceedings in Scotland, announced the chief legal officer of the Scottish Government.
Masud appeared in a federal court in Washington on Monday accused of building the bomb that downed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people.
In the Scottish Parliament today, Scotland’s Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain faced questions from lawmakers about Masud’s case. She was asked to confirm whether Scottish prosecutors would be looking to take action against him.
“There are no current criminal proceedings in Scotland against Masud,” Bain said. “I acknowledge that there are mixed views amongst the families about this development.”
“The US and Scotland share criminal jurisdiction for the terrorist attack but it was clearly an attack against the United States,” she added. “The bomb was targeted against a US plane en route to New York with 190 US citizens on board.”
Nevertheless, she Bain affirmed that “Scottish prosecutors and law enforcers stand ready to afford all co-operation” to their US counterparts.