Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Case Study Abi Wiggins and Logan Taylor

Timeline of Main Events December 21, 1988 Thirty-eight minutes after takeoff from London, Pan Am Flight 103, route to New York City, explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. December 23, 1988 Reports surface that on December 5th the U.S. Embassy in Finland received bomb threats against a Pan Am flight originating in Frankfurt sometime before Christmas. December 28, 1988 British investigators report that a bomb in the luggage compartment caused the explosion (determined that one of the fragments found on the ground came from the circuit board of a radio/cassette player, helped establish that the bomb was placed inside a radio/tape deck in a piece of luggage).

Timeline Continued.. April 3, 1989 On the 103rd day after the bombing, relatives and friends hold a demonstration in front of the White House. Victims of Pan am Flight 103 representatives meet with president Bush to request a congressional investigation into how the U.S. government handled terrorist warnings prior to Pan Am Flight 103. November 15, 1991 Two Libyan intelligence agents, Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, are indicted by the U.S. and Scotland. April 15, 1992 The U.N. ceases all air transport links with Libya and bans sales of arms and aircraft to it for its refusal to extradite the two accused Libyans. March 23, 1995 The FBI announces a $4 million reward for the two suspects charged with the bombing, and says it plans a worldwide search for information, seeking help in bringing the terrorists to justice.

Timeline Continued.. August 24, 1998 The U.S. and U.K. propose to convene a Scottish court in the Netherlands in an effort to bring the two Libyan agents to trial. August 26, 1998 Libya accepts the U.S. and British plan to put the two suspects on trial in the Netherlands April 6, 1999 The two suspects are formally charged for the bombing. May 3, 2000 Trial begins at Kamp van Zeist in the Netherlands.

Timeline Continued.. January 31, 2001 Lamin Khalifah Fhimah was found not guilty of the murder charge. He was freed and he returned to his home on February 1st, 2001. As for Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Research Questions #1 How do these kinds of incidents affect security within airports? What kind of security options have been inserted because of terrorist attacks like this one?

Research Question Answer #1 Aircraft bombings have affected the level of security within airports. Newer and stronger technology has been put into place and continues to improve to protect airline travelers. Researchers have been working on a number of technologies, from smarter facial recognition software to faster explosive trace detection. Programs such as “trusted traveler” has been put into place by the Department of Homeland Security with Germany, Mexico, and South Korea.

Research Question #2 Because of this terrorist attack, the U.N. ceased all air transport linked with Libya and banned sales of arms and aircraft. What kind of impact did this have on the U.N. countries?

Research Question Answer #2 The banning of sales between the U.N. and Libya certainly affected the U.N. and the countries involved because it started conflict among the countries. The U.N. is to maintain international peace and security, however when incidents like this occur, the peace between these countries becomes non- existent. Instead of peace, conflict rises.

Research Question #3 What was the most crucial piece of evidence found in this case and how did it impact the case?

Research Question Answer #3 The most crucial piece of evidence found was the small fragment that came from the circut board of a radio/cassette player. This helped the case because it determined the reason the flight crashed. Instead of blaming technical errors within the airplane, it was determined to be a bomb that caused the airplane to explode. This piece of evidence also helped locate the placement of the bomb (luggage compartment).

Work Cited "Timeline." Timeline | Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. N.p., 22 Sept. 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <https://www.victimsofpanamflight103.org/timeline>. "Pan Am Flight 103 Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Dec. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/pan-am-flight-103-fast-facts/> "Two Libyans Identified as Lockerbie Bombing Suspects." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/15/europe/lockerbie-pan-am-flight-103/>. "Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives." Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives. Syracuse University, 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://archives.syr.edu/panam/>. "Pan Am Flight 103 Explodes over Scotland."history.com A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pan-am-flight-103-explodes-over-scotland>.