A U.S. judge has ruled that an alleged confession by the Libyan man accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 can be used as evidence in his trial. Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is accused of constructing the device that killed all 270 people aboard the flight.
Judge Dabney Friedrich of the District Council of the District of Columbia heard arguments on whether the statement should be allowed. Prosecutors contended that the detailed nature of the alleged confession could be corroborated, making it unlikely to be fabricated. The defense team representing Al-Marimi had requested the exclusion of this statement.
According to the alleged confession, Al-Marimi stated he was congratulated by then-Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi for carrying out "a great national duty" against Americans. The confession reportedly details how Fhimah placed the unaccompanied bag onto a conveyor belt destined for the U.S., where it later exploded at 31,000 feet in the forward hold of Pan Am 103.
A Libyan police officer, identified as Jamal, reportedly kept a handwritten document and a carbon copy of the confession in a home safe. He allegedly handed these over to the Libyan Attorney General's Office in 2015. Two years later, a copy was given to Scotland's Crown Office, who subsequently shared it with U.S. prosecutors.
During the proceedings, Judge Friedrich instructed the U.S. government to obtain the original handwritten document and its carbon copy. However, authorities in Tripoli reported that these documents could not be found.