Lockerbie bombing investigator hopes ‘justice will prevail’ ahead of trial
Libyan suspect Abu Agila Masud, who is to go on trial in the US next year, is alleged to have helped make the bomb.
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Your support makes all the difference.A former investigator of the Lockerbie air disaster has said he hopes “justice will prevail” ahead of the forthcoming trial of a Libyan suspect alleged to have helped make the bomb.
Stuart Cossar, a former detective inspector with the Police Service of Scotland, was made an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace for his work investigating the Lockerbie bombing – and his support to the bereaved families.
The 1988 terrorist attack on a Pan-Am jumbo jet flying from London to New York claimed the lives of all 259 people on board, as well as 11 people on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie, where the plane finally crashed.
Speaking after receiving the honour from the Princess Royal, Mr Cossar said: “It means so much to me, but not only to me, to my family as well.
“The investigation is still live and we have a trial scheduled for next year in the US, and we hope that justice will prevail.”
He added: “I feel I’m not only representing myself and my family, but also the people of Lockerbie, and many colleagues I’ve worked with over the years in the investigation.”
Mr Cossar, who retired in 2018 from his role as an inspector and deputy senior investigating officer in the Lockerbie case, immediately returned as a civilian member of support staff so he could continue to help the victims’ families.
“Now I have the grand title of investigation and information manager, and I’ve been in that post for over six years now,” he said.
“It’s such a rewarding job, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people – not just in the UK but throughout the world.”
He added: “And the families – they’re fantastic people.
“I really have a very strong bond with the families now, which I’ve developed over many years.”
Mr Cossar expressed gratitude for Anne’s “strong bond” with Scotland and Lockerbie.
He said: “Princess Anne was actually in Lockerbie this year, and she spoke about the people of Lockerbie and how resilient they all are.
“She has a very strong bond with Scotland, as you know, and she has a very strong bond with Lockerbie itself.”
Pan-Am Flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie on December 21, 1988, 40 minutes into its flight from London to New York.
Libyan suspect Abu Agila Masud, who is to go on trial in the US in May 2025, is alleged to have helped make the bomb.
Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is so far the only man convicted in relation to the bombing, after being found guilty of 270 counts of murder by a panel of three Scottish judges, sitting at a special court in the Hague in 2001.
He was sent to prison in Scotland but was controversially granted compassionate release in 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, returning home to Libya where he died in 2012.