Relatives of victims of the Lockerbie bombing have said they are 'absolutely floored' after the trial of a man charged over the explosion was postponed in the US.
Jury selection was due to begin on Wednesday in Washington DC for the trial of Abu Agila Masud, who is charged with making the bomb that destroyed the plane, which he has denied. All 259 passengers and crew and 11 people on the ground were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, 40 minutes into its flight from London to New York.
Postponement due to new evidence
On Monday, a federal judge in the US postponed the trial, citing new evidence that defence lawyers want to examine. Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only man convicted in relation to the bombing, after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges sitting at a special court in the Hague in 2001. He was sent to prison in Scotland but was controversially granted compassionate release in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, returning home to Libya where he died in 2012.
Families express shock and anxiety
Kara Weipz, president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, lost her brother Rick Monetti in the atrocity and said she was shocked to hear of the postponement. She told BBC Radio Scotland's Breakfast programme: 'As we're processing the shock, there's a lot of, 'I can't believe this is happening'.
'There's so much anxiety leading into this week and obviously with jury selection this week, and with the anticipation of opening statements next week, people were getting ready to travel at the end of the week – and then knowing that all of a sudden it's not happening right now, it's just we have to live in this anxiety for however long until we actually get to trial.
'And you know, everyone needs to stay healthy. You know, everything needs to fall into place. Everything still needs to work out right so that we can have this trial.'
However, she said that while the postponement has come as a surprise, the delay could be worth it if the evidence helps discover more of the truth. She said: 'That's always been my goal… for as many family members to be able to witness this trial as possible, and to gain more of the truth. And listen, if that's what this evidence brings, that's what the families have been fighting for for almost four decades.
'We want the truth. We want to know what happened. And if that's what this brings, then this time will be worth it.'
Scottish prosecutors remain committed
A hearing is scheduled to take place in Washington next month to discuss the status of the case. Scottish prosecutors have always maintained that Megrahi acted with others in carrying out the attack.
Commenting on the postponement, Laura Buchan, head of the Lockerbie investigation team at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: 'I recognise that this adjournment will be disappointing for the families and for those who have followed this case over many years.
'As the matter remains before the court, it would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for the adjournment.
'Although these proceedings are being led by the United States authorities, Scottish prosecutors and police officers remain fully committed to supporting the pursuit of justice.'
