Libyan cleared after Lockerbie bombing trial dies aged 70
Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, the Libyan who was acquitted in the 2001 Lockerbie trial, died on Thursday at 70.
Fhimah had been charged in 1991 with the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that killed 270 people. He was found not guilty at the Scottish court that was sitting in the Netherlands, while another Libyan, Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted and jailed for life.
A post on Facebook by Libyan Airlines announced the death and expressed condolences to Fhimah’s family.
He had worked for Libyan Airlines in Malta before the plane was destroyed. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.
In 2022 the FBI revealed new allegations linking Fhimah to the plot, but these remain unproven and do not lead to a fresh prosecution. Under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011, a second trial could be considered if new evidence significantly strengthens the case, but legal complexities and his acquittal make such proceedings unlikely.
The 2001 trial remains a pivotal chapter in the post‑Lockerbie world, and Fhimah’s death marks the end of a long and controversial legal saga.
