Lockerbie Bombing Ex‑Acquittal: Libyan Who Was Cleared Dies at 70

Sun Sep 06 2026 01:36:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A Libyan cleared in the 2001 Lockerbie trial has passed away at 70, rekindling interest in the decades‑old bombing case.

Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, who was acquitted after the 2001 Lockerbie trial, died aged 70. He had been charged with 270 deaths in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing in 1988. A second Libyan, Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted and later died of cancer. Fhimah returned to Libya post‑trial and was welcomed by former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Recent claims of new evidence have resurfaced, but no fresh charges appear imminent.

Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, once charged with 270 deaths in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, was cleared in 2001 after a Scottish court trial. He died at age 70, as reported by Libyan Airlines.

Fhimah worked for the airline in Malta before the bombing in December 1988. He denied involvement and was welcomed home to Libya by former dictator Muammar Gaddafi after his acquittal.

A second Libyan, Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted of a key role in the attack and later died of cancer in 2012 after being freed on compassionate grounds.

In 2022, the FBI revealed new allegations involving a Libyan confessional. These claims have sparked speculation that a second trial could be possible, though the Double Jeopardy Act limits such action.

The indictment against Fhimah remains unfiled in the US, and no additional prosecution is expected following his death.