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The FBI has launched an international search for victims of the Lockerbie bombing, including people who suffered “emotional injury”, ahead of a Libyan suspect’s trial in the US.
It comes 35 years after the atrocity in which a total of 270 people were killed.
Abu Agila Masud has denied making the device that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish Borders town on 21 December 1988
A judge in the US federal court where the trial is taking place is considering whether to allow remote access for people directly affected by the case.
The FBI is now trying to find everyone who meets a legal definition of victims of the bombing and wants to watch the trial online.
Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down as it flew from London to New York.
All 259 passengers and crew on board the airliner were killed, along with 11 residents of Lockerbie who died when wreckage fell on their homes.
Abu Agila Masud is due to stand trial before a jury in Washington next May.
The search for people directly affected by the bombing is being undertaken by the FBI’s counter terrorism division and the US Department of Justice.
Alexandria Sheriff’s Office
The FBI says the Washington court wants a finalised list of individuals “who meet the statutory definition of victim and wish to have access to the court proceedings”.
The court also wants to know their total number and geographic location before it decides how to proceed.
Legislation passed by the US Congress to pave the way for remote access to the trial defines a victim of Lockerbie in two ways.
It includes someone who was “present at or near the scene in Lockerbie when the bombing occurred or immediately thereafter” and who suffered “direct or proximate harm (e.g. physical or emotional injury) as a result”.
The second group involves “the spouse, legal guardian, parent, child, brother, sister, next of kin or other relative of someone who was killed on Pan Am 103 or killed or harmed on the ground in Scotland or someone who possesses a relationship of a similar significance to someone who was killed or harmed in the attack”.
Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died on the plane, welcomed the decision to define people who witnessed what happened in Lockerbie as victims of the bombing, if they suffered harm.
He said: “Those affected by any disaster should never be restricted from access to the consequences of that disaster.
“So I think it’s a good move that I entirely endorse.”
Two-thirds of those who died on the plane were American. In total 43 UK citizens were killed along with people from 19 other countries.
The harrowing aftermath of the crash was witnessed by many residents of the town and surrounding area.
The bodies of people from the plane were found in Lockerbie and scattered across fields and hills.
They were collected by hundreds of police officers and personnel from the military, emergency services, local authorities and voluntary groups.
Many people were deeply damaged by what they witnessed and what they had to do.
The FBI is asking people who believe they fit the definition and would like remote access to the trial to fill out a survey.
In a message accompanying the request, the bureau said: “We understand that this notice may be unexpected and raise questions for many who are connected to this tragedy.
“Please accept our apologies for any apprehensions caused by this sudden outreach, and rest assured that we have a team of dedicated individuals prepared to address any concerns you may have about this process.”
‘Widespread location’
The FBI says it is trying to inform the court about the “widespread geographic location of our victim population and to demonstrate how this may affect your personal and physical capabilities to access the trial proceedings in person”.
Scotland’s prosecution service relays information on the case to some of the relatives of the people who died.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said they were continuing to support the US Department of Justice and the FBI in the prosecution of Abu Agila Masud.
Only one person has been convicted of involvement in the bombing, a Libyan who was found guilty of playing a key role in the plot to bring down the plane.
Abdulbasset al Megrahi was jailed for life after being found guilty of mass murder by a Scottish court sitting in the neutral Netherlands.
Terminally ill with cancer, he was released on compassionate grounds by the Scottish Government in 2009 and died three years later.
Megrahi always protested his innocence but his conviction was upheld twice by the appeal court, immediately after his trial and a second time after his death.
The FBI survey is available by clicking here.
