US Prosecuting Attorneys Allege Libyan National Willingly Confessed to Pan Am Flight 103 Attack
US government attorneys have stated that a Libyan man willingly admitted to being involved in attacks targeting US citizens, including the 1988 Lockerbie attack and an aborted conspiracy to assassinate a American public figure using a booby-trapped coat.
Statement Particulars
Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir al-Marimi is alleged to have acknowledged his participation in the murder of 270 individuals when the aircraft was destroyed over the Scotland's community of Lockerbie, during interrogation in a Libyan detention facility in the year 2012.
Known as the suspect, the 74-year-old has asserted that several hooded persons forced him to make the admission after threatening him and his family.
His legal representatives are attempting to block it from being employed as proof in his trial in DC next year.
Judicial Battle
In answer, lawyers from the American justice department have declared they can prove in court that the confession was "voluntary, trustworthy and accurate."
The presence of the suspect's alleged confession was first disclosed in 2020, when the United States declared it was charging him with constructing and preparing the explosive device utilized on Pan Am 103.
Defendant's Assertions
The defendant is alleged of being a ex- official in Libya's intelligence service and has been in US confinement since recent years.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due to stand trial at the US court for the Washington DC in April.
The defendant's attorneys are working to block the jury from learning about the statement and have submitted a petition asking for it to be withheld.
They contend it was obtained under pressure following the revolution which overthrew Colonel Gaddafi in the early 2010s.
Alleged Coercion
They assert former officials of the dictator's administration were being targeted with unlawful killings, kidnappings and mistreatment when Mas'ud was seized from his residence by weapon-carrying men the following time.
He was moved to an unofficial holding location where other inmates were purportedly assaulted and mistreated and was by himself in a small room when three disguised persons presented him a one document of material.
His legal representatives claimed its scripted details commenced with an command that he was to acknowledge to the Lockerbie incident and a separate violent act.
Substantial Extremist Events
The suspect asserts he was instructed to remember what it stated about the occurrences and restate it when he was questioned by a different individual the following time.
Being concerned for his well-being and that of his family, he claimed he believed he had no choice but to acquiesce.
In their reply to the defendant's petition, legal counsel from the US Department of Justice have declared the tribunal was being asked to exclude "extremely pertinent evidence" of the suspect's culpability in "two major terror events against US citizens."
Authorities Responses
They say Mas'ud's story of occurrences is unbelievable and untrue, and contend that the details of the confession can be verified by trustworthy independent testimony gathered over several years.
The government attorneys state the defendant and other ex- personnel of Gaddafi's intelligence service were detained in a secret prison managed by a militia when they were questioned by an seasoned Libya's law enforcement official.
They contend that in the chaos of the post-revolution time, the facility was "the most secure location" for the suspect and the additional operatives, accounting for the hostility and resistance attitude prevailing at the time.
Interrogation Details
Per to the law enforcement official who questioned the defendant, the center was "properly managed", the detainees were not restrained and there were no indications of coercion or intimidation.
The officer has stated that over 48 hours, a composed and healthy suspect detailed his involvement in the explosions of the aircraft.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also stated he had acknowledged constructing a device which went off in a Berlin venue in the mid-1980s, killing three persons, including multiple American servicemen, and wounding numerous others.
Further Allegations
He is also said to have recounted his participation in an conspiracy on the life of an unidentified American diplomatic official at a public event in the Asian country.
The defendant is alleged to have described that an individual travelling the US official was carrying a booby-trapped coat.
It was the suspect's assignment to trigger the device but he opted not to proceed after finding out that the individual bearing the garment did not realize he was on a suicide mission.
He chose "not to push the trigger" even though his superior in the agency being present at the moment and asking what was {going on|happening|occurring