2 INDICTED IN PAN AM DEATHS

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CIA-RDP96-00789R001001430002-1
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U
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2
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November 4, 2016
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November 25, 2002
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p 8 ? IA- 0078 tr l For 4/indictedhAn1 RDP96E is Suspects are spies for Libya By Jerry Seper and Paul Bedard THE NASHINGTON TIMES The United States and Britain yes- terday charged two Libyan intelli- gence agents with murder and con- spiracy in the deaths of 270 persons in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, described as "officers and operatives" of the Libyan intelligence agency, are ac- cused of planting the bomb on the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and murdering the 259 persons on board and 11 on the ground. The two men, both of whom are believed to be in Libya, are consid- ered fugitives. "This investigation is by no means over," Attorney General-designate William P Barr, who was deputy at- torney general when nominated for the top Justice Department job, said in announcing the indictment in Washington. "We will not rest until all those responsible are brought to justice, and we have no higher priority" The indictment was returned by a federal grand jury. A similar indict- ment against the two Libyans was announced simultaneously in Brit- ain by Scotland's Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, who said Libyan government officials would be pressed to turn the men over for trial. Meanwhile, the White House strongly indicated that Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi was involved in the bombing and sug- gested that state-sponsored terror- ism would be met with diplomatic and then military retaliation. In an unusually blunt statement. White House press secretary Marlin Fitzwater said, "We are talking about the full range of matters that are available to countries in terms of their authorities ? the diplomatic, civilian, military, across the whole gamut." Senior administration officials said President Bush already has dis- cussed retaliation plans with the leaders of several NATO allies, in- cluding British Prime Minister John Major and French President Fran- cois Mitterrand The diseuNsious AP The evidence: Attorney General-designate William Barr displays a photo of a fragment of the radio-cassette player where the Pan Am bomb was hidden. The suspects; Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi (left) and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah are charged in the 1988 bombing of Flight 103, which killed 270. have taken place over the past sev- eral days. Military opt ions include seizing the alleged terrorists and senior Lib- yan authorities, awitktttrig,tso,Zilic administration sotift VV./Min-Myr they said, the administration would tenni with other nations to press I thia through diplomatic channels to turn over the alleged conspirators. Mr. Fitzwater and other officials made the case for military action by characterizing the t?ombing as state- group. But administration officials pressed the peaceful, diplomatic tice. "We are considering action, and I'll leave it at that:' he said. As the indictment was an- cr,a- litgirapitmtwo to play a major role in sponsoring and promoting international terror- ItverWie,t(1 brine the suspects to -ios, tsnt . Security ,his been 'stepped up around U.S. installations and air bases out of concern that Libya might react to the indictment with 0 irows 2i terrorist action.. ,4n ilk first major crimi- nal indictment since being nom- ,' see lin ANS, page A8 Soviet unity gains support By Gerald Nadler THE VYASHINGTON TIMES MOSCOW? Soviet President Mi- khail Gorbachev reached -agree,z ment with the leaders of severt.ye, publics yesterday to preserve union government in a'hew corded erated state. The accord reached afteeall-day talks at Mr. Gorbachev's dacha out r. side Moscow marked the most 'sig.-, nificant progress since *failed:. August coup at maintainiira cen- tral government, which is preferred. by international financial orgattiz-''''. tions and foreign states in dealing r with Moscow But five republics? the Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Armenia and UZ.- bekistan ? did not attend the State Council meeting at Novo-Ogarevo with Mr. Gorbachev; the agreemen't is also only the first step in a long.; process. The political union pact must- be finalized, then approved by the par- liaments of the republics and sent back to the State Council. ' Foreign governments are con- cerned that the lack of a central gov- ? ernment structure could lead to a dangerous dispersal of Soviet nu- clear weapons among the republics and that there would be no central authority to pay the foreign debt of $70 billion. Mr. Gorbachev, who has threat- ened twice in the last three months to resign if a union treaty is not signed, held his hands together in front of him in a pose of relief and thankfulness at the televised news conference where the progress to- ward a pact with the republics was announced. "The new I Union Of Sovereign States will be a confedevatedtdo: , cratic government:' Mr Gorbachev said. He added that a military ttaigrk, agreement was one ot the nod .steps toward reforging the Soviet state. Boris Yeltsin and Nu.rsultan., Nazarbayev, presidents of the two largest republics. Russia and Ka- zakhstan, then stepped forward tO announce their approval of the ac-: cord as a smile engulfed Mr. cort4-..,,,` chev's face. "It is hard to say what 'Will he k.he see soviErs. page AX.. - Approved For Release 2003/04/18 : CIA-RDP96-00789R001001430002-1 PGE A8 / FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 1991 LIBYANS From page Al inated last month, described the in- ---yestigation as "one of the most exhaustive and complex" in history. "We charge that two Libyan of- ficials, acting as operatives of the Libyan intelligence service along with other co-conspirators, planted and detonated the bomb that de- stroyed Pan Am Flight 103," he said. "I have just telephoned some of the families of those murdered in Pan Am Flight 103 to inform them and the organizations of survivors that this indictment has been re- turned' he said. "Their loss has been ever-present in our minds." The 193-count indictment, re- turned by a federal grand jury in Washington, alleges that the two Lib- yan intelligence officials con- structed a bomb of plastic explosive and a sophisticated timing device land put it into a portable radio- cassette player in a suitcase. On Dec. 20, 1988, according to the .indictment, they flew from Libya to -Malta, where one of them had worked for Libyan Arab Airlines and had access to baggage tags of an- other airline, Air Malta. "By using stolen Air Malta bag- gage tags, the defendants and their co-conspirators were able to route the bomb-rigged suitcase as unac- companied luggage," Mr. Barr said. "The suitcase was put aboard an Air Malta flight that went to Frankfurt, Germany" At Frankfurt, the indictment said, the suitcase was transferred to a connecting Pan Am flight ? 103-A .? bound for Heathrow Airport in London. At Heathrow, it was placed ',aboard Pan Am 103 and exploded about 38 minutes after the aircraft had left for New York City on Dec. *21, 1988. The two Libyans are charged with conspiracy to murder those on board the plane and placing a bomb on the jet. The United States has no extradi- tion treaty ? or diplomatic relations - ? with Libya to bring them to this country for trial. Justice Depart- ment authorities said they hoped to - get the men back to the United States - but did not elaborate. Mr. Barr said U.S. and Scottish authorities, after an "exhaustive" analysis of tons of debris, deter- mined that the bomb had been in the - suitcase in a large, aluminum bag- gage container in the aircraft's for- ward cargo hold. He said the bomb ' consisted of 10 to 14 ounces of plas- ? tic explosive. "The methodical crime scene in- vestigation yielded a tiny, small &ag- o ment -- smaller than a fingernail that had been driven by the blast into the large cargo container," he said. - "Forensic experts determined that this was part of the circuit board of the lbshiba radio." He said a fragment of green cir- cuit board, also smaller than a fin- gernail, was found in a piece of shirt that had been in the suitcase contain- ing the bomb. "Scientists determined that it was part of the bomb's timing device and traced it to its manufacturer, a Swiss company that had sold it to a high- level Libyan intelligence official," Mr. Barr said. Mr. Megrahi, 39, was described by - U.S. authorities as a senior officer of - the Libyan intelligence agency, ? known as the Jamahirya Security Organization. They said he has held various positions with Libyan Arab Airlines and served as director of the Center for Strategic Studies in Tripoli at the time of the bombing. Mr. Fhimah, 35, also was de- scribed as a covert agent of the Lib- yan intelligence agency and worked as station officer with Libyan Arab _ Airlines in Malta. The indictment represents the first charges to be filed in the nearly 3-year-old case. Of those who died in the terrorist explosion, 189 were Americans. The victims were from 21 countries and included eight fam- ilies of four. Sixteen infants sitting on the laps of their parents also were killed. Thirty-five of the victims were Syracuse University students re- turning to the United States after a pre-Christmas trip to Europe. The investigation initially cen- tered on allegations that the Syria- backed Popular Front for the Liber- ation of Palestine-General Com- mand (PFLP-GC), led by suspected terrorist Ahmed Jibril, had been re- sponsible for the Pan Am bombing. CIA intelligence officials orig- inally said the organization con- spired with Iranian officials to at- tack a U.S. airliner in retaliation for - the 1988 accidental downing of an Iranian jetliner by a U.S. warship, the USS Vincennes, in the Persian Gulf. But Assistant Attorney General , Robert Mueller III, who heads the , Justice Department's criminal divi- sion, said yesterday there was no evi- dence to link the Pan Am bombing to Iran, Syria or the PFLP-GC. Yesterday's State Department re- port on Libya's terrorism role said: ? Libya provides training facili- Pe ao4i WHO DID IT? Initially, the Pan Am bombing investigation centered on the Syria-backed terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Yesterday's indictment against two Libyan intelligence officers said they acted with "other co-conspirators," but officials said there was no evidence to link the bombing to Iran, Syria or the PFLP-GC. Various officials and press reports pointed to this list of characters as possible suspects during the probe. 1 " ?de- m e d W O M: ., Leader G ;' . . Popular - Front 'beratioh?palePtine'"'Ge9er41 and. tartaristce,.1-the PFCE:0Ct West Germany was b6liev"to?hava carried outbombing, Bomb parts Joundindebrl5-;round Lockerbiewer7'rePart td i. e Y traced his group. EMoham Abu Tib: Identified by Swedishreportedly court asasusPect-rbombingand amemberothe PaiestinepoPuTerstruggieFront'susPectedof Purchesingsomeof the clothing found e on Pam Am Flight 103in which the bomb was hiden. idJaffahLepare0eAMerican student from Dorolwb9wee killedthebombin9wae suspected f unknowingly carried t1eb0mb400rdtheplanein ,a suitcase: 0ftibialsyesterdaydeniAd involvement. ? Haflz Dalk?mom'pFmemberndkeY aide toibril,w`s.atre'tId in West Germany with 13 other suspected terrorists two months beforethepan Am incident. U.S. inteiiIbenceofficialsidentifiedhim as being involved in bombing attempts. EAbdaiIh 80noussl ?natherinlawof Libyan , r o rt ? 7 IIO M 'a '- d a the ? .1J 9ib1.0 3 antoreionatairs. Id e, n t i fie , d - ' b- y r l a A LIPanibte of Liby tpr.obom dial,elPeetec because equipment he used in other bombings matched equipment fianaaur colleagueofmohamm eofthenilitaryinbesum r6p9rte . ingenc0serYicetheJamahirya the Security t the Part AThtP" ?m0uSs? KOUs":vice minister offlcialssasuspec tjaenp eagentandlongtime Rafsanjani U.S. intelligence Bingattempts. in mmed telligenc Nayc., s? -? , , : ? ,i, r.8601Q- Libyan offi the bombing. was arrested released USE ? Omran Saber: Libyan in edNaydi?Arrestedith released.Mr' aooalso, $ All President of 'cat!ytwas identified in Pam Am i.mg7 mer of when : throuoh Revolutionary operationwas Guard._ The Washington Times Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi Lamen Khalifa Fhimah TRACKING TERRORIST BOMB Chronology of events surrounding bombing of PattAin Flight 21" 1988, ? - .? ?,' ??? ' .;: ? Nov. 14, 1991 ? Two Libyan intelligence officials indicted for planting bomb that destroyed Flight 103. Dec.1990- Departmentjusticp s -Ion i ?Inoe 4 evidence that error who blew bp Pant 'AM Flight 103 i,y0-ye were unwittingly aided by An undercover U.S.,dilig ifiVeagatioti., Nov. 16, 1990? President Bush signs a bill tightening airport security. British government repontritn'tne.:diSaSteriirge aircraft. firraalo:make aircraft :safer: Families Of the victims say to at di,maatiapp.q.wo.#*repOrt because it failed to consider airport SistOr June 11, 1990 ?Justice Department reports "significant progress" in the investigation but says evidence to bring charges was still "not in hand." May 15, 1990? A presidential commission investigating the bombin recommends the?United .StatesahOUldtako niltitarfattiOrilagaina "terrorists" and nations that harbor them. May 10 1990 ? Pan Am reaches an out-of-court settlement with 250 Scottish families whose relatives were killed or injured in the disaster. Dec. 8 Scotland's chief law officer announces the 4.01-OPY.jnt0::010P0.11104.1Z/OutaMc.r:imingl.PrPPOPOI931,4kP:...,:t Nov. 17, 1989 ? A presidential commission opens hearings in Washington. ? Ploy..: 4 :i?.:' .1989..',.'- .r..., :.,.: .:. '.?. .:.' ,7:'- . ._:? ' ','.'r ,.. , ... '.C?: ? . .7 --,'. .'.:.'. ...,..I. . A . .P '. I r . , ..': .?.. ,.,...?.. P '..:.t.. ? :...,.P... r. : .,?.;; W. ;?' ': ::?, .i,:,: l ,l' ' ' i' e: ? ..-':M. ,. .. : ,. W.?i? ..: .: e,. ' l'' ' ter says S ? ' : h . : e . u ' r' ... .. t ,t,e..:? v .: .: .'... ?, .- ': a- . te .: . s hopes to seize thethebdnbere and bring them to:1r the United statO?., P ., ? , Oct. 30939West German officials sayinvestigatorsfounda trail leadingtLN:1tas thelikelys?urceof tnebomband scyaLibyan man m et o taoY have Played a role. Sept. 114i4MPe_1 aye.bei eve identified group responsible the bombing. mna'4,1Q89:?Prsident Byshannounces formation ofa seven -member commissiontoIrvestigate air terrorism, with particular emphasis on the Pan Am bombing. A r8 Alt Investigators1'989.',4T a U.S. tricked loto taking thobo,b.on board. April 3, 1989? The United States announces new measures to combat sky terrorism. ma!4 22)?89..A4iatb.plte4iont official testifies itetiurite:8tatPsi?e?altipo-ui 40 fromforeign government because of ti:4101PPp7.:itn?tc;1A involved. aM., 10, 1939 British investigators say the bomb was planted inthe aircraft's forward baggage hold. Dec..334-;!88.Libyan.i6d6r,n A a i i e'Y&believes sabotage denies Libya, it a or i. responsible. The father of victim e first lawsuit againstPan Am Dec. ?, 1988 ?Britain'sAir Accidents Investigations Branch says the jet was blown up oya powerfylbombmadeof PIesticexnl0sives.Lawyers representing familiesof the victimssaythey will sue the U.S. government and PanAm. Dec. 23, 1988t, British official says the ort4of1040009'Oibli warnings about threat b information considered. 9hfiq?1- Dec. 2 ,1988 ? British investigators say sabotage was the most likely cause of the crash.u.S.official- say a threat to)IowuPapanAm flight New York originating .n Frankfurt, Germany. as Flight 103 had, wasmad U.S. embassies inEuropeand major airlines earlier in the month. ,,.. , ?24980.fiiqht?-..ips:18.-00or .-p080040.004-4..0o0.1 T.90 it-40-,:-$1.r. ,i0i.000..'e.e..04.:'Noot ' ..:-.: ,?: .:.:-::''.: deaths in more than 100 terrorist attacks. ? Col. Gadhafi last year gave more than $1 million to the PFLP-GC, a terrorst group responsible for the The Washington Times ation Front, which has a long history of terrorist attacks, remain based in Libya, receiving broad government support. ? Libya's terrorist support and - ties and several million dollars a kt waciA twog vf traced to the year to tiatpidrowatliftgaaleias,e 2 Ir. fn 11;27o the Philippines, which has been connected to 280 ? Elements of the Palestine Liber- Costa Rica, Peru and Chile. -tierg9Rigimeidulli2st t1