Date: 21 December 1988

Location: Lockerbie, Scotland, United Kingdom

Type of event: terrorism

Description:

Pan American Flight 103, a Boeing 747, was destroyed in flight by a bomb at 6:56 PM. The plane was en route from London, England, to New York City, carrying holiday and other travelers. An explosive device, using a sophisticated time-delay fuse, had been concealed in a portable radio in luggage originating in Malta and transfered to the flight in Frankfurt, Germany. This exploded in a cargo hold after the 747's departure from London, with the aircraft rapidly disintegrating due to the damage to the fuselage. All 259 aboard were killed, including 189 Americans. The mid-section of the plane impacted the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland, destroying several buildings and killing 11 more people and injuring 12. An intensive investigation eventually identified two Libyan suspects; the Libyan government was implicated by evidence including the timer used in the bomb. In 2004 Libya settled claims stemming from the bombing.

Consequences: 270 killed, 12 injured

References:

• "Accident Database," PlaneCrashInfo.com, on line [http://www.planecrashinfo.com/database.htm].
• Mickolus, Edward F., and Susan L. Simmons, Terrorism, 1992-1995: A Chronology of Events and a Selectively Annotated Bibliography, 1997, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT).
• MIPT, "Other group attacked airports & airlines target (Dec. 21, 1988, United Kingdom)," MIPT, on line [http://www.tkb.org/Incident.jsp?incID=5728].
• The New York Times, 29 Dec. 1988, p. I 10:3; 31 Dec. 1988, p. I 3;1; 10 Oct. 1990, p. A 1:1.
• "The victims of Pan Am 103," The Pan Am 103 Crash Website, on line [http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5260/victim.html].

© 2017 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 26 November 2017.
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