Mas'ud Al-Marimi: Lockerbie bombing suspect was handed over to FBI after being held captive for two weeks by warlord
NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON DC: On Monday, December 12, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan intelligence agent suspected of creating the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 and killed 270 people, appeared in court in Washington, DC. Mas'ud was reportedly taken from his home by a warlord and imprisoned by a militia for two weeks before being handed over to the FBI prior to his court appearance.
Mas'ud, who served as Muammar Gaddafi's explosives specialist, is accused of three crimes, including two counts of causing the fatal destruction of an airplane and one count of causing the fatal destruction of a vehicle. Each offense carries a potential term of up to life in prison, the death penalty, or a maximum fine of $250,000. The death sentence, however, was not constitutionally permissible at the time of the bombing, the prosecution informed the court, therefore they would not seek it. The Guardian reported on Monday, December 12, 2022, that the accused was taken from his house in the capital's Abu Salem district by forces loyal to Abdel Ghani al-Kikili, also known as "Gheniwa". However, the United States has not commented on the circumstances surrounding his release. Gheniwa is in charge of the Government of National Unity's (GNU) Stability Support Authority (SSA), which is situated in Tripoli (GNU) in Libya.
