A former Libyan intelligence operative accused of preparing the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 was taken into US custody after being abducted from his home by a notorious warlord and then detained by an armed militia for two weeks, the Guardian has been told.
Mohammed Abouagela Masud appeared briefly in court in Washington DC on Monday, accused of having set the timer for the bomb that destroyed the Boeing 747, killing 270 people in the most deadly terrorist attack to have taken place on British soil.
The US Department of Justice announced it had custody of Masud on the weekend, but gave no details of how he had arrived in the US.
Officials with knowledge of the case in Libya told the Guardian that Masud was seized at his home in the capital’s Abu Salem neighbourhood by forces loyal to Abdel Ghani al-Kikili, known as “Gheniwa”, who commands the Stability Support Authority (SSA) of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU).
At the time, Masud’s family told local media that he had been kidnapped by armed men, and accused Tripoli authorities of remaining silent on the abduction.
Masud was living in his home after being released from prison six months ago after serving a 10-year sentence for crimes committed under the former regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
After his detention, the suspected bomber was taken to a military base in Misrata, where he was held by one of the militias in the port city.
Around a week later, those holding Masud were contacted by his family who had been frantically trying to trace the missing man. They were reassured that he would return home safely within a short time, the officials said.
However, within another week, a “team of Americans” arrived in Misrata, bundled Masud on to a flight in a private jet from the city’s airport to Malta, the Guardian was told.
Masud’s nephew, Abdulmenam Marimi, told Reuters on Monday that the family only learned he had been moved to the US when they saw it reported on the news.
It has not been possible to confirm all the details described by the officials, who are well-placed to know of the case, but experts said the account was “highly plausible”.
Amnesty International has described al-Kikili as an abusive militia commander whose subordinates have a “well-documented history of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations”. The SSA has responsibility for arresting individuals in “national security” cases.
“For over a decade, militias under his command terrorized people in the Tripoli neighbourhood of Abu Salim through enforced disappearances, torture, unlawful killings and other crimes under international law,” the organisation said in 2022.
Al-Kikili denied Amnesty’s allegations, saying that the SSA was “very keen to apply Libyan law first, which takes into account standards of justice and human rights, and it works within the framework of official state institutions”.
The National, a newspaper based in the UAE, reported on Monday that Masud’s nephew said his uncle was detained by forces linked to the defence ministry of Libya’s internationally recognised GNU on 17 November, then taken to Misrata, 200km from the capital.
Libya is split between two administrations, and is the site of a proxy struggle for influence between countries including Egypt, Russia, the UAE, Turkey and western nations. The GNU is based in Tripoli.
It is unclear which militia held Masud in Misrata, but all have been repeatedly accused of multiple human rights abuses, including torture, illegal detention, extrajudicial executions, forced displacement and exploitation of migrants.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, told reporters at Monday’s White House press briefing: “Today is a good day because Masud will be facing justice for his alleged role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. I will say that this was done in a lawful manner according to established procedures. For more specifics on how it happened I would refer you to the justice department because they’re best positioned to be able to speak to that.”
The US Department of Justice did not initially respond to a request for comment. In a statement, Michael H Glasheen, the acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, said: “The lawful arrest and presentment in court of the alleged bombmaker … is the product of hard work and partnerships across the globe.”
Scottish prosecutors, who have been closely involved in the investigation, have said the families of victims were told that Masud had been extradited to the US.
The Pan Am flight from London Heathrow to John F Kennedy airport in New York exploded at 31,000ft over Scotland on 21 December 1988. A total of 259 people were killed onboard, while fiery debris from the destroyed plane killed another 11 on the ground in Lockerbie.
According to the US affidavit, Masud was a key figure in the plot, along with Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifah Fhimah. Al-Megrahi was jailed for life for mass murder by three Scottish judges at a special court sitting in the Netherlands in 2001. Fhimah was later acquitted at a trial.
Investigators say Masud met with the other two men in Malta, where he had been directed to fly by a senior Libyan intelligence official with a prepared suitcase. He was asked to set the timer by the other two men, and the suitcase travelled via feeder flights to the hold of the Boeing 747.
Three months after the bombing, the US alleges, Masud and Fhimah met with then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who “thanked them for carrying out a great national duty”.
At the time, Gaddafi was in conflict with the west, but under his leadership Libya later renounced terrorism and accepted responsibility for the aircraft bombing in 2003 in return for relief from economic sanctions.
After Gaddafi’s fall, Masud, a longtime explosives expert for the country’s intelligence service, was taken into custody by Libyan law enforcement. In 2017, US officials received a copy of an interview with Masud carried out by Libyan authorities soon after his arrest.
In that interview, US officials said, Masud admitted building the bomb used in the Pan Am attack and working with the two men charged earlier to plant it on the plane. He said the operation had been ordered by Libyan intelligence and that Gaddafi had thanked him and others after the attack, according to an FBI affidavit.
In late 2020, the US justice department announced charges against Masud. With Masud in Libyan custody, though, his prosecution remained largely theoretical.
Additional reporting by David Smith in Washington
