Lockerbie disaster, 270 people killed when Flight 103 exploded
According to their lawyer, the American families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing are to sue the Libyan government for up to $10bn in damages. However, Lee Kreindler conceded that the plaintiffs would probably have to settle for substantially less than requested. A New York judge would meet representatives of the families on Friday to draw up a timetable for the action, said Mr Kreindler.
On Wednesday, Libyan Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. He was sentenced to life in a Scottish prison, with no chance of parole for at least 20 years. His co-accused, Al-Amin Khalifa Fahima, was acquitted of the charges and flown home yesterday. Two hundred and seventy people were killed when the London to New York flight exploded over Lockerbie, eleven of which were on the ground at the time.
The former South African President, Nelson Mandela, has said that now that the Lockerbie trial has ended Western countries should stick to their agreement to lift sanctions against Libya. Mr Mandela, who helped arrange a deal with Libya that led to the trial in the Netherlands, said that he intended to discuss the issue with President George W Bush and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
