Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, Acquitted in Lockerbie Bombing, Dies
Death of Libyan Airlines station manager comes as Abu Agila Masud's US trial for bomb-making is postponed.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Sarah Connor
Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, acquitted of involvement in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, has died.
Fhimah, a former station manager for Libyan Airlines in Malta, was cleared of any role in the 1988 disaster.
Libyan Airlines confirmed his death, stating, "We extend our heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathy to his noble family and all his colleagues and loved ones"; the company announced Fhimah's death via a Facebook post.
We extend our heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathy to his noble family and all his colleagues and loved ones.
The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, killed 270 people.
Scotland and the United States announced charges against Fhimah and Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in 1991; both men were understood to be employees of Libyan Airlines.
The two men faced trial at a Scottish court in the Netherlands, a proceeding that followed UN sanctions against Libya.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of murder in connection with the bombing in 2001; he received compassionate release in 2009 and died in Libya in 2012.
Meanwhile, Abu Agila Masud faces charges in the US for making the bomb that destroyed the plane, a charge he denies.
US authorities claim Masud is charged with making the bomb, though Masud has denied the charge.
Masud reportedly told a Libyan police officer that he, Fhimah, and Megrahi plotted to bomb the plane while members of the Libyan intelligence service; Masud, however, claims this confession was false and made under duress.
The trial of Abu Agila Masud has been postponed.
Beyond the legal debate, Stephanie Bernstein, who lost her husband Michael Bernstein in the bombing, continues to navigate the aftermath of the tragedy.