Whenever an event rocks the world, it doesn't take long for conspiracy theories about it to develop. Some people are questioning whether John F Kennedy was really shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, whether the Americans really landed on the moon and whether Al-Qaeda really was behind the events of September 11, 2001. One of the greatest tragedies of the Eighties is another source for conspiracy theorists and after more than 20 years, it seems that the Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation will never really draw to a conclusion.
The tragedy took place in 1988, four days before Christmas. A Pan Am flight took off from Heathrow that day and soon after, disintegrated in mid-air. After it was concluded that the cause of the incident was a bomb, it became known as the Lockerbie bombing, after the Scottish town where the plane crashed.
The explosion caused the aircraft to disintegrate. All passengers and crew were killed. However, the disaster was made worse when pieces of the plane fell onto Lockerbie and killed a further 11 people who were living in the town. A total of 270 people died, of which 189 were American. Britain lost 43 of its citizens and other victims came from countries as diverse as Argentina, India, Jamaica and South Africa.
After an investigation lasting three years, two Libyan nationals were accused of the bombing. They were only handed over for trial in 1999 and eventually one was found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed twice and was eventually released on compassionate grounds in 2009. Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.
Several conspiracy theories have arisen about the Lockerbie bombing, claiming that Libya was framed. One of the theories involves the CIA, which had allegedly been running a drug-smuggling operation on the route in exchange for information about hostage situations in Syria. Two of the passengers on the flight were American intelligence officers who, the theory goes, were on their way to the US to blow the whistle on the operation.
Maybe a little less far-fetched is the theory that the bomb was used to assassinate the newly appointed UN commissioner to Namibia, who died in the crash too. South Africa was busy negotiating the handing over of Namibia to the control of the UN at the time. Interestingly, South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs and members of his delegation were supposed to be on Flight 103 but had changed their plans.
Since 2009, there have been calls for a new, independent investigation into the crash. This process should be overseen by the UN. Online petitions were started and signatories included high-profile figures as well as relatives of some victims. They want an inquiry to find out what really happened, who really was responsible and whether the right man and even the right country had been found guilty of the worst act of terrorism on British soil.
It is uncertain whether there ever will be a new inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing. However since not all the legal proceedings surrounding the case have been finalized yet, the plane's recovered wreckage is still being kept as evidence. This means that a new Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation would not be impossible.
The tragedy took place in 1988, four days before Christmas. A Pan Am flight took off from Heathrow that day and soon after, disintegrated in mid-air. After it was concluded that the cause of the incident was a bomb, it became known as the Lockerbie bombing, after the Scottish town where the plane crashed.
The explosion caused the aircraft to disintegrate. All passengers and crew were killed. However, the disaster was made worse when pieces of the plane fell onto Lockerbie and killed a further 11 people who were living in the town. A total of 270 people died, of which 189 were American. Britain lost 43 of its citizens and other victims came from countries as diverse as Argentina, India, Jamaica and South Africa.
After an investigation lasting three years, two Libyan nationals were accused of the bombing. They were only handed over for trial in 1999 and eventually one was found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed twice and was eventually released on compassionate grounds in 2009. Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.
Several conspiracy theories have arisen about the Lockerbie bombing, claiming that Libya was framed. One of the theories involves the CIA, which had allegedly been running a drug-smuggling operation on the route in exchange for information about hostage situations in Syria. Two of the passengers on the flight were American intelligence officers who, the theory goes, were on their way to the US to blow the whistle on the operation.
Maybe a little less far-fetched is the theory that the bomb was used to assassinate the newly appointed UN commissioner to Namibia, who died in the crash too. South Africa was busy negotiating the handing over of Namibia to the control of the UN at the time. Interestingly, South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs and members of his delegation were supposed to be on Flight 103 but had changed their plans.
Since 2009, there have been calls for a new, independent investigation into the crash. This process should be overseen by the UN. Online petitions were started and signatories included high-profile figures as well as relatives of some victims. They want an inquiry to find out what really happened, who really was responsible and whether the right man and even the right country had been found guilty of the worst act of terrorism on British soil.
It is uncertain whether there ever will be a new inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing. However since not all the legal proceedings surrounding the case have been finalized yet, the plane's recovered wreckage is still being kept as evidence. This means that a new Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation would not be impossible.
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