Paul Hudson, whose daughter Melina was one of the victims in the Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie bombing, holds up a banner of pictures of additional victims outside the federal court before the trial of a Libyan man accused of making the bomb that destroyed the plane on Dec. 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Human Rights Group Raises Concerns Over Lockerbie Suspect’s Extradition

The Media Line Staff

02/14/2023

A prominent human rights group has called on the US and Libya to explain the legal basis behind the recent surprise extradition of a former Libyan intelligence officer. Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi was arrested in December by US authorities, who accused him of planting the bomb on board Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people.

Mas’ud’s extradition has caused questions to be raised over the legality of how he was picked up just months after his release from a Libyan prison, and sent to the US, particularly as there is no standing extradition agreement between Libya and the US. The Libyan Government of National Unity claimed that militias loyal to them were behind the detention and extradition.

Human Rights Watch issued a report on the matter, highlighting concerns over due process, and called on the US to allow Mas’ud to challenge his extradition. The group also urged Libyan authorities to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for Mas’ud’s abduction from his home.

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