Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, a 70-year-old Libyan who was cleared in the trial over the Lockerbie bombing, has died. He was accused of murdering 270 people in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 attack but found not guilty by a Scottish court in 2001. New evidence emerged last year that implicated Fhimah in the bombing through an alleged confession made by another Libyan who is facing trial in the US. A second trial for Fhimah was possible, but it would have been legally and politically challenging due to his initial acquittal.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-26,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, a Libyan who was acquitted of charges related to the Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people in December 1988, has died at the age of 70. Fhimah, who worked for Libyan Airlines in Malta before the bombing, was tried alongside Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, another Libyan suspect, and found not guilty in 2001. In contrast, Megrahi was convicted of a key role in the bombing and sentenced to life in prison, although he was later released on compassionate grounds in 2012 due to cancer. Fhimah's funeral is set to take place in Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday.
Written for “Lockerbie Trial Aftermath” on 2026-08-31,
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No political leaning scored for article 2489 · logged 2026-08-27
- Published
A Libyan who was cleared after standing trial over the Lockerbie bombing has died aged 70.
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who → publish → bombing
Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah was accused of murdering 270 people in the attack on Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988.
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Fhimah → accuse → December
He was found not guilty but a second Libyan, Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted of playing a key role in the bombing of the American airliner.
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Libyan → find → airliner
A Facebook post by Libyan Airlines announced Fhimah's death and expressed the company's condolences to his family.
Fhimah worked for the carrier in Malta before the bombing of Pan Am 103.
His funeral is set to take place on Wednesday in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.
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funeral → announce → Libya
The charges against Fhimah and Megrahi were first announced by Scotland and the United States in 1991.
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charges → announce → 1991
Years of sanctions imposed on Libya by the United Nations led to the two men being handed over to stand trial at a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands.
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men → impose → Netherlands
In 2001, three judges convicted Megrahi of mass murder and jailed him for life, but found Fhimah not guilty.
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Fhimah → convict → life
Megrahi died from cancer in 2012, after being freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government.
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Megrahi → die → government
Fhimah always denied any involvement and was welcomed home to Libya by the country's late dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
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Fhimah → deny → dictator
In 2022, the FBI revealed that he had been implicated in the case again, through an alleged confession made by another Libyan who is facing trial in the United States.
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who → reveal → States
Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi is said to have told a Libyan police officer that he took part in a plot to bomb the plane along with Fhimah and Megrahi, when all three were members of the Libyan intelligence service.
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three → say → service
Al-Marimi has denied making the bomb that brought down the jumbo jet and claims the confession is false and was made under duress.
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confession → deny → duress
The contents of Al-Marimi's alleged confession and other new evidence which has emerged from Libya has led to speculation that Fhimah could have faced a second trial over the attack on the airliner.
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Fhimah → allege → airliner
The indictment against Fhimah announced by the US Government in 1991 is still outstanding.
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indictment → announce → 1991
Under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011, external, a suspect can be tried over the same crime a second time, if there is new evidence - which was not available during the original trial - that substantially strengthens the case against them.
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that → try → them
The BBC understands Scottish and US prosecutors would have looked at taking fresh action against Fhimah, if Al-Marimi was convicted by the court in Washington next year.
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Marimi → understand → Washington
But pursuing a prosecution in Scotland or the US would have been legally challenging and politically sensitive, given his acquittal by the Scottish court in 2001.
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pursuing → pursue → 2001
Al Marimi is now due to stand trial in Washington in January, after a federal court judge agreed to postpone the case for a third time.
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judge → stand → time
The delay, requested by the defence, followed the emergence of "newly discovered" evidence on the case.
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delay → request → case
The postponement was not connected to Fhimah's reported death.
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postponement → connect → death
