Filmmaker Facts Investigation That Determined Alleged Pan Am Flight 103 Bomb-Maker

Thirty-two a long time after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, new charges have been introduced towards the man suspected of making the bomb that took down the aircraft above Lockerbie, Scotland.

U.S. Attorney Basic William Barr declared Monday that the office was charging previous Libyan intelligence officer Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi. He is accused of supplying a Samsonite suitcase with a Toshiba cassette player that was armed with an explosive.

The expenses arrive right after a long time of investigations in a number of international locations that led to only one conviction for the attack that killed 270 individuals. Scottish judges convicted Libyan Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi in 2001 for his job in the bombing. He died in 2012.

Filmmaker Ken Dornstein was absolutely sure other folks have been associated.

His brother, David, was killed in the bombing, and Dornstein has dedicated his life to hunting for the real truth. In his 2015 Frontline documentary series “My Brother’s Bomber,” he revealed links that sooner or later led to the indictment of Mas’ud as the suspected bomb professional.

Regardless of the Libyan government’s denial of involvement, Dornstein was persuaded there were being others associated in the plot. So he did what journalists do: pored around vacation information and online video archives and even went around the entire world to keep track of down individuals liable for his brother’s death. He located journey files linking Mas’ud to yet another assault on People in america in Germany two decades prior to the Lockerbie bombing.

But it appeared like most anyone who had worked with Mas’ud was useless, and many others wondered to Dornstein irrespective of whether that was even his true name.

“My Libyan buddy and fixer at the time looked at the identify and said, which is practically a produced-up title,” Dornstein tells Early morning Version host Noel King.

Then, in 2012, Dornstein uncovered about a Libyan male dwelling in Germany. He experienced absent to jail for bombing a German nightclub in 1986. Dornstein went to Germany to request him who experienced designed the bomb he applied. The male went on to title Mas’ud.

Even now, there was no one particular who could tell Dornstein in which to uncover the suspected bomb-maker.

Then in 2015, extra than two several years right after they satisfied, the Libyan man in Germany despatched Dornstein a text. It was a photograph of a man extended suspected was Mas’ud. He was getting held in a Libyan jail.

On Morning Version Dornstein describes what happened subsequent:

And so what do you do? Do you just take that data to the FBI? Do you contact them up and say, “Men, there is certainly a dude who was involved in Lockerbie and I’ve obtained a image of him. He is in prison on demo in Libya.”

I was in anything of a bind simply because as a filmmaker and a journalist, of course I was making an attempt to get as significantly as I could on the document. I experienced at unique instances been questioned by the FBI. They wanted to know if I experienced nearly anything suitable to their investigation at diverse points. I did give them data, so they understood what I knew as of 2014. And it was actually just a ready recreation of regardless of whether there would be the capacity or the political will most likely to do anything at all about it.

If this man, Abu Agela Mas’ud, is in actuality guilty, that usually means he is in portion accountable for your brother’s dying. How did you really feel listening to Attorney Basic Barr say we have indicted this man, this male that you invested decades chasing?

You know, it really is it’s possible understandably a combined bag of emotions. I imply, as a journalist and filmmaker, I am always grateful if anyone can take your get the job done seriously and some thing comes of it. As a brother, the factor that pursuits me at this minute is about the business enterprise of reality and lies and that [Libyan leader] Moammar Gadhafi was the unique kind of strongman and he lied brazenly. And those people lies have been recurring by his interior circle, and they were recurring by the convicted bomber, al-Megrahi, who went to his dying denying that he performed any position in saying he was scapegoated. And even some kin of Lockerbie victims have internalized those people lies. And in excess of time, that approach is corrosive. I have considered that if you could locate selected truths and build particular information and even film them, then you could disarm of the damage. And I am waiting to see what arrives of the Justice Department’s announcement. My hope is that it places far more points on the record that are incontrovertible and that it finishes any remaining questions and that it silences the lies.

You tried pretty tricky to converse to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi in advance of he died. You did not get a possibility. What would you want to check with Abu Agela Mas’ud if you experienced an option to sit down with him?

What I required extra than nearly anything, was for him to notify me the tale. The narrative actually was what I was seeking for, the kind of specificity of detail that you couldn’t deny and you could not make up. And the second I wanted was the instant when he initial listened to that his name experienced appear up in link with Lockerbie and that 20 yrs, 20 as well as many years of lies and denials about his role experienced essentially arrive to nothing. And I wished him to know that you could not lie and deny for good and that another person would care plenty of to issue out the real truth. And I preferred him to know in this case that that was me.

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NOEL KING, HOST:

This was December 21, 1988.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

Unknown REPORTER: A Christmas tragedy in Scotland tonight – a New York-sure Pan Am 747 flying from London’s Heathrow Airport crashed in the village of Lockerbie in southern Scotland about an hour just after takeoff. There have been 258 on board Flight 103, and a Royal Air Power formal coordinating rescue energy states all perished.

KING: And this was December 21, 2020. Here’s Lawyer Typical William Barr.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WILLIAM BARR: I am pleased to announce that the United States has filed prison expenses from the 3rd conspirator, Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

KING: To recognize how very long the odds ended up of this going on, think about this. It took Scottish judges 13 decades to convict one of the two Libyan adult men who’d been billed in the bombing, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi. He was convicted in 2001. The other person was not convicted at all. Family members of the victims believed he couldn’t have accomplished this by itself. He experienced to have experienced collaborators. But Libya denied any involvement, and Megrahi swore he was innocent. And then in 2008, he received most cancers, and the Scottish federal government enable him out of prison on compassionate grounds. Some of the victims’ family members were being outraged.

Ken Dornstein’s brother David was on board Flight 103. Ken is a documentary filmmaker. He and other folks were convinced that Libya was lying about its involvement, so he did what journalists do. He pored more than old films, photographs, photocopies.

KEN DORNSTEIN: I steeped myself in the paperwork. I mean, it was a large amount of paperwork.

KING: And he went to Libya throughout the Arab Spring to try to uncover the reality of who else experienced been associated.

DORNSTEIN: The men and women who have been the – I feel the architects of the bombing – they experienced been killed, some by Gadhafi. And other individuals had been killed by the rebels who experienced toppled Gadhafi. It was a violent routine, and they died in a violent way. But I was still left again with just this identify who my Libyan mate and fixer at the time looked at the name and stated, that’s just about a produced-up identify – Abu Agela Mas’ud. The individuals who worked with him were useless or absent, and my Libyan fixer explained that could not even be a genuine identify.

KING: He listened to this all over again and once again. Abu Agela Mas’ud probably will not exist. And then Ken realized about a Libyan male dwelling in Germany. This male had absent to prison for bombing a German nightclub in 1986. Two American servicemen had been killed. Ken questioned this male to satisfy, and he mentioned Okay. So Ken flew to Germany, and he asked, who made the bomb that you made use of in the nightclub?

DORNSTEIN: And he went on to name the title of the bomb maker, and it turned out to be Abu Agela Mas’ud.

KING: The man Ken experienced been chasing was serious. But in the chaos after Libya’s civil war, it seemed like there’d under no circumstances be a way to obtain him. Right after all, he’d been a ghost for many years. And then in 2015, additional than two a long time just after they met, the Libyan person in Germany despatched Ken a text. It was a photograph of a person Ken experienced observed in an old online video, a man he’d extended suspected was Abu Agela Mas’ud. He was carrying a blue jumpsuit.

DORNSTEIN: And I understood that those people blue jumpsuits had been the variety that the former Gadhafi regime associates who ended up on trial in Libya would have on in court. And so we went by means of – my filmmaking staff went via every stock image of photos taken of the gentlemen who ended up on trial. And we pored as a result of them, and we discovered much more and a lot more images of this identical man. And I realized that’s him. Mas’ud is not a ghost. He does exist. And in point, he’s being held in a Libyan prison.

KING: And so what do you do? Do you take that info to the FBI? Do you simply call them up and say, men, there is a male who was included in Lockerbie, and I have obtained a picture of him he is in prison on trial in Libya?

DORNSTEIN: I was in anything of a bind because as a filmmaker and a journalist, clearly, I was seeking to get as a lot as I could on the report. I had at distinct times been questioned, you know, by the FBI. They wished to know if I experienced anything at all relevant to their investigation at diverse details. I did give them facts, so they understood what I knew as of 2014. And it was actually just a ready activity of whether or not there would be the capacity or the political will, possibly, to do anything at all about it.

KING: If this gentleman, Abu Agela Mas’ud, is in point guilty, that usually means he is in component responsible for your brother’s demise. How did you come to feel listening to Attorney Basic Barr say, we have indicted this man, this guy that you used years chasing?

DORNSTEIN: You know, it really is maybe understandably a mixed bag of feelings. I imply, as a journalist and filmmaker, I’m usually grateful if an individual can take your function severely and some thing will come of it. You know, as a brother, the thing that pursuits me at this second is about the business enterprise of real truth and lies and that Moammar Gadhafi was the primary type of strongman and he lied brazenly. And individuals lies had been repeated by his internal circle. They had been repeated by the convicted bomber, al-Megrahi, who went to his death denying that he played any role in declaring he was scapegoated. And even some relatives of Lockerbie victims have internalized individuals lies.

And in excess of time, that procedure is corrosive. I have thought that if you could uncover sure truths and establish specified facts and even movie them, then you could disarm the hurt. And I’m ready to see what comes of the Justice Department’s announcement. My hope is that it puts extra facts on the report that are incontrovertible and that it ends any remaining questions and that it silences the lies.

KING: You attempted really really hard to converse to Abdel Basset al-Megrahi right before he died. You did not get a possibility. What would you want to request Abu Aguila Mas’ud if you experienced an opportunity to sit down with him?

DORNSTEIN: What I wanted extra than nearly anything was for him to notify me the tale. The narrative definitely was what I was searching for, the sort of specificity of detail that you couldn’t deny and you could not make up. And the second I preferred was the instant when he 1st listened to that his title had come up in relationship with Lockerbie and that 20 a long time, 20-in addition decades of lies and denials about his position experienced actually occur to nothing at all. And I preferred him to know that you could not lie and deny eternally and that somebody would care sufficient to level out the fact, and I wished him to know in this case that that was me.

KING: Ken Dornstein is a documentary filmmaker. His film for PBS’ “Frontline” about this case is referred to as “My Brother’s Bomber.”

(SOUNDBITE OF Joy Wants ETERNITY’S “Loss of life IS A Door THAT OPENS”) Transcript offered by NPR, Copyright NPR.