Prosecution witness prevented from naming who he believes bombed Pan Am flight 103

Airline Industry Information, Nov 21, 2000

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The prosecution team for the Lockerbie bombing trial has closed its case amid controversy after a former press secretary for John F. Kennedy and former chief foreign correspondent for the ABC network in the United States claimed that he knew who had bombed the aircraft.

Pierre Salinger claims he knows who is to blame for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and protested angrily when the court refused to allow him to voice his opinion. During his testimony as a prosecution witness, Salinger stated, 'I know that these two Libyans had nothing to do with it. I know who did it and I know exactly why it was done.'

Salinger had apparently interviewed Abdel Basset al-Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima, the two Libyans accused of the bombing, in 1991 and extracts from the interview show that al-Megrahi strongly denied being involved. Megrahi claims that he was never a member of the Libyan intelligence agency and that he and his family would be ashamed to perform such an act according to a BBC report.

Salinger was not allowed, however, to state his belief about who had performed the bombing, and was told by Lord Sutherland, one of the judges hearing the case, 'If you wish to make a point you may do so elsewhere, but I'm afraid you may not do so in this court.'

The defence team, which claims the bombing was the work of Palestinian terrorist organisations, now has a week to prepare its case.

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