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| Libya confirms Lockerbie suspects' names | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Libyan government has confirmed the names of two men suspected of being involved in the Lockerbie bombing. | |
| US and Scottish prosecutors said they had asked Libya for permission to interview Mohammed Abouajela Masud and Abdullah al-Senussi. | |
| However, a Libyan government spokesman said its attorney general's office had not been officially informed. | |
| Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted over the bombing of Pan Am 103 flight in 1988. | |
| A total of 270 people died in the atrocity, including everyone on board the plane and 11 people from the Scottish town. | |
| Megrahi died in 2012 after being released from jail on compassionate grounds in 2009. He had terminal cancer. | |
| Relatives of some of those killed in the bombing welcomed the naming of two new suspects. | |
| Stephanie Bernstein, whose husband was among those who was killed in the attack, said she was "surprised, delighted and really gratified" by the news. | Stephanie Bernstein, whose husband was among those who was killed in the attack, said she was "surprised, delighted and really gratified" by the news. |
| "There are many, many people who I hope are not sleeping so well tonight knowing that the Scottish government and the US government are committed to pursuing this case," she said. | "There are many, many people who I hope are not sleeping so well tonight knowing that the Scottish government and the US government are committed to pursuing this case," she said. |
| But Jim Swire, whose daughter died, said any prosecution would "need to be supported by very much better evidence" than that used against Megrahi. | But Jim Swire, whose daughter died, said any prosecution would "need to be supported by very much better evidence" than that used against Megrahi. |
| Frank Duggan, president of Pan Am 103 Relatives, said he was not confident there would be further prosecutions. | |
| "It's been 26 years. It's too long, people are dead, stories have been forgotten," he said. | |
| "I'd like to think that it will be one small measure of closure but I don't expect the kind of justice that we all hope for." | |
| Frank Duggan, president of Pan Am 103 Relatives, said he was not confident there would be further prosecutions. | Frank Duggan, president of Pan Am 103 Relatives, said he was not confident there would be further prosecutions. |
| "It's been 26 years. It's too long, people are dead, stories have been forgotten," he said. | "It's been 26 years. It's too long, people are dead, stories have been forgotten," he said. |
| "I'd like to think that it will be one small measure of closure but I don't expect the kind of justice that we all hope for." | "I'd like to think that it will be one small measure of closure but I don't expect the kind of justice that we all hope for." |
| Both of the newly identified suspects are currently serving prison sentences in Libya, which is in chaos as rival factions fight for control of the country. | Both of the newly identified suspects are currently serving prison sentences in Libya, which is in chaos as rival factions fight for control of the country. |
| Senussi, who is currently awaiting execution in a Libyan jail, was the brother-in-law and intelligence chief of former Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi. | Senussi, who is currently awaiting execution in a Libyan jail, was the brother-in-law and intelligence chief of former Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi. |
| Masud is reported to be serving a prison sentence for bomb making. | Masud is reported to be serving a prison sentence for bomb making. |
| Lockerbie bombing: Key dates | Lockerbie bombing: Key dates |
| Key developments in Lockerbie bombing case | Key developments in Lockerbie bombing case |
| Both men were named as possible suspects by an American TV documentary last month. | Both men were named as possible suspects by an American TV documentary last month. |
| Documentary maker Ken Dornstein's brother David died in the Lockerbie bombing. | Documentary maker Ken Dornstein's brother David died in the Lockerbie bombing. |
| He told the BBC's Today programme: "We went in with a list of names that had come from the original investigation, pulled out of the tens of thousands of pages of documents. I established many were dead or missing. Ultimately, I concluded there may be three people left." | He told the BBC's Today programme: "We went in with a list of names that had come from the original investigation, pulled out of the tens of thousands of pages of documents. I established many were dead or missing. Ultimately, I concluded there may be three people left." |
| On Masud, Mr Dornstein added: "Figuring out simply that he existed would solve many of the unanswered questions to the bombing because he was attached to Megrahi according to the best information there was, including at the airport in Malta on the day that the bomb was said to have been infiltrated into the baggage system and ultimately on to Flight 103." | On Masud, Mr Dornstein added: "Figuring out simply that he existed would solve many of the unanswered questions to the bombing because he was attached to Megrahi according to the best information there was, including at the airport in Malta on the day that the bomb was said to have been infiltrated into the baggage system and ultimately on to Flight 103." |
| Analysis from Glenn Campbell, Scotland political correspondent | Analysis from Glenn Campbell, Scotland political correspondent |
| The Lockerbie investigation has always remained open because police and prosecutors believe that the only man convicted of the bombing - Abdelbasset al-Megrahi - did not act alone. | The Lockerbie investigation has always remained open because police and prosecutors believe that the only man convicted of the bombing - Abdelbasset al-Megrahi - did not act alone. |
| Efforts to pursue other suspects have intensified since the Libyan revolution overthrew Colonel Gaddafi's regime and opened up new lines of inquiry. | Efforts to pursue other suspects have intensified since the Libyan revolution overthrew Colonel Gaddafi's regime and opened up new lines of inquiry. |
| Two Libyan-based prosecutors were appointed to assist Scottish and U.S. authorities. | Two Libyan-based prosecutors were appointed to assist Scottish and U.S. authorities. |
| In December 2013, the former head of the FBI Robert Mueller told the BBC that "progress" was being made and predicted that "others will be charged". | In December 2013, the former head of the FBI Robert Mueller told the BBC that "progress" was being made and predicted that "others will be charged". |
| Gaining access to the new suspects may not be straightforward because Libya is extremely unstable and without a single governing authority. | Gaining access to the new suspects may not be straightforward because Libya is extremely unstable and without a single governing authority. |
| Relatives of the 270 people killed in the bombing welcome the continued search for justice but as the twenty seventh anniversary approaches, few expect the Lockerbie case to ever be fully resolved. | Relatives of the 270 people killed in the bombing welcome the continued search for justice but as the twenty seventh anniversary approaches, few expect the Lockerbie case to ever be fully resolved. |
| Scotland's Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC recently met the US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, to review progress in the ongoing investigation. | Scotland's Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC recently met the US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, to review progress in the ongoing investigation. |
| And they have now requested permission from the Libyan authorities for Scottish police and the FBI to interview the new suspects in Tripoli. | And they have now requested permission from the Libyan authorities for Scottish police and the FBI to interview the new suspects in Tripoli. |
| The Libyan attorney general declined to comment to the BBC on whether the Libyan government would assist in the investigation. | The Libyan attorney general declined to comment to the BBC on whether the Libyan government would assist in the investigation. |
| Megrahi's part in the bombing has been called into question in a series of books and documentaries. | Megrahi's part in the bombing has been called into question in a series of books and documentaries. |
| He was found guilty of mass murder and was jailed for a minimum of 27 years - but was released in 2009 on compassionate grounds due to his terminal cancer. He died in 2012. | He was found guilty of mass murder and was jailed for a minimum of 27 years - but was released in 2009 on compassionate grounds due to his terminal cancer. He died in 2012. |
| Pan Am 103 flight was on its way from London to New York on 21 December 1988 when it exploded above Lockerbie in southern Scotland, killing everyone on board and 11 people on the ground. | Pan Am 103 flight was on its way from London to New York on 21 December 1988 when it exploded above Lockerbie in southern Scotland, killing everyone on board and 11 people on the ground. |