Judge sets new US trial in Lockerbie bombing case for January 2027

Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, accused of making the bomb that blew up Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988, is shown in this Alexandria Sheriff's Office photograph taken in Alexandria,Virginia on December 11, 2022. Alexandria, VA Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 - A US judge on Monday set a January 2027 trial for a former Libyan intelligence operative accused of building the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

The trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi in Washington federal court was postponed in August days before it was set to begin after defense lawyers said they needed additional time to review newly disclosed evidence in the case.

US District Judge Dabney Friedrich on Monday set jury selection to begin on January 19, 2027.

Mas'ud has pleaded not guilty to two criminal charges related to the destruction of the aircraft resulting in death. Prosecutors allege he engineered the bomb that felled Pan Am flight 103 minutes after takeoff from London on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people. REUTERS