Lawyers bid to postpone Lockerbie bombing trial

The trial of a Libyan suspect in the Lockerbie bombing, which was due to start in the United States in May, could be postponed following a request from the prosecution and defence.

Abu Agila Masud Al-Marimi has been accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am 103 in 1988, causing the deaths of 270 people.

His trial was due to get under way in Washington on 12 May but the US government and the defence have asked for it to be called off meantime.

Referred to as Masud by Scottish and American investigators, the Libyan is alleged to have confessed to making the device which exploded in the airliner’s hold as it flew from London to New York.

A motion filed by government prosecutors asked for the scheduled start date to be set aside due to Masud’s ill health and the complexity of the case.

Read more: BBC News