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ACTING DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROBERT S. MUELLER, III

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the three judge Scottish Court presiding over the trial of the two Libyans accused of bombing Pan Am flight 103 on December 21, 1988, has found Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, guilty of murder. The verdict is based on the Court's finding, after more than eight months of trial, that the defendant caused an explosive device to detonate on board Pan Am flight 103, thereby killing the flight's 259 passengers and crew, as well as 11 residents of Lockerbie, Scotland. The defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment under Scottish law.

With respect to Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, the Court concluded that the Crown failed to present sufficient evidence to satisfy the high standard of "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that is necessary in criminal cases. The verdict of not guilty with respect to Fhimah is not an affirmation that he is innocent of the crime charged.

In response to today's verdict, Acting Deputy Attorney General Robert S. Mueller, III, made the following statement:

"Today's verdict means that Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, who was responsible for this heinous act of terrorism, will be held accountable. We hope this verdict will serve to reduce the pain that the victims' family members have endured since December 21, 1988. The United States remains vigilant in its pursuit to bring to justice any other individuals who may have been involved in the conspiracy to bring down Pan Am flight 103.

"The United States congratulates Colin Boyd, The Lord Advocate of Scotland, trial counsel, and all the members of the Crown Office's Lockerbie Criminal Case Team who so ably represented the Crown in this case. We further extend our congratulations to the officers of the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, and those officers from the other Constabularies in Scotland, whose tireless efforts contributed so greatly to this success.

"The United States is also proud of the contribution to this prosecution made by components of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Marshal's Service, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition, the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime provided a wide range of support to the families."

According to Mueller, the investigation in this case was handled by the Scottish Police and the FBI. In November 1991, parallel charges were returned against the two defendants in Scotland and by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia.

The evidence presented at the Scottish trial in the Netherlands established that Megrahi was a member of intelligence services within the Libyan government. The guilty verdict serves to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that, as set forth in the charge on which the conviction was rendered, the defendant destroyed Pan Am flight 103 and murdered its occupants and residents of Lockerbie "in furtherance of the purposes of...Libyan Intelligence Services."

If Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi chooses to appeal the verdict, the appeal would be considered by the High Court of Justiciary, which is Scotland's highest court of appeals. Such an appeal might take nine months or more to be concluded.

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