A SPECIAL REPORT FROM LOCKERBIE THE FLIGH T FRO M JUS TICE by PAUL FOOT Gilchrist, DC: Dumfries and Galloway connection, were published in a Dramatis Personae police officer German magazine in 1997 Aitken, Ian: Guardian journalist, guest Gill QC, Mr: Counsel for the bereaved Mifsud, Major: chief meteorologist at Garrick lunch families from Luqa airport Al Megrahi, Abdelbasset Ali Gobel, Rainer: physicist for German Morris, Harvey: Independent Middle Mohamed: Senior JSO officer, tried police East editor who broke the story of and found guilty of bombing Goben, Mobdi aka ‘The Professor’: Libyan involvement Anderson, Jack: Washington Times Palestinian bomb-maker Mowat, John, Sheriff Principal: journalist Hayes, Thomas, Dr: forensics expert conducted the fatal accident inquiry Annan, Kofi: secretary general of the working for RARDE Oakley, Robin: Times journalist, guest United Nations Hendershot, Hal: FBI officer who at Garrick lunch Ashton, John: researcher for Channel 4 interrogated Giaka Orkin, John Scott: CIA electrical Documentary Hussein, Saddam: Iraqi leader engineer Assad: Syrian dictator Jibril, Ahmed: leader of the Popular Parkhouse, Geoffrey: Glasgow Herald Bedford, John: Heathrow baggage Front for the Liberation of Palestine journalist, guest at Garrick lunch handler – General Command (PFLP-GC) Parkinson, Cecil: Paul Channon’s Bell, DCI: of Dumfries and Galloway Johnston, David: Scottish radio successor as Secretary of State for police, he interviewed Gauci in 1989 reporter questioned after suggesting Transport Black, David: Independent journalist the investigation was delayed for Prince Bandar bin Sultan: Saudi who broke the story of Libyan two days whilst CIA agents rifled Arabian prince, one of two men involvement through the luggage chosen by Nelson Mandela to Black, Robert, Professor: head of the Johnston, Sergeant David: Dumfries negotiate with Colonel Gadaffi department of law, University of and Galloway Police Rozenberg, Joshua: BBC’s crime Edinburgh. Kamboj, Sulkash: baggage handler who correspondent Bollier, Edwin: director of MEBO, denied x-raying the luggage Rufford, Nick: Sunday Times journalist Swiss manufacturer of timer devices Keen, Richard QC: representing Salem, Mohammed: Palestinian Boyd, Colin, QC: who replaced Lord Fhimah identified as ‘someone who looked Hardie as Lord Advocate at the Khreesat, Marwan: Jordanian bomb- like the man’ who could have Lockerbie trial maker bought the clothes in Malta Brisbane, Jim: prosecution for the Koca: baggage handler who made Scicluna, Inspector: of the Malta Crown crucial entry in worksheets but did police, he interviewd Gauci in 1989 Buckland, Chris: Today journalist, not give evidence at the trial Senussi, Abdullah: head of the JSO’s guest at Garrick lunch Koscha, Joachim: baggage handler at operations administration Bush, President George: the first Frankfurt airport Smith, Ron: employee of Galloway Campbell, Alistair QC: Advocate Langdon, Julia: Daily Mirror journalist, Mountain Rescue, related story of Depute for the prosecution guest at Garrick lunch red tarpaulin and the box Cannistraro, Vince: former head of Leppard, David: Sunday Times Talb, Abu: Palestinian terrorist CIA’s counter-terrorism section journalist and author of series of Taylor, William QC: representing Channon, Paul: Secretary of State for articles about Lockerbie in 1989 Megrahi Transport in 1988 Lloyd, Tony: Minister of State at the Thatcher, Margaret: British Prime Cook, Robin: British Foreign Secretary Foreign Office Minister at time of Lockerbie Dalkamoni, Hafez Kassem: member of Lord Coulsfield: Judge at Lockerbie Thurman, Tom: forensic investigator PFLP-GC trial for the FBI Dalyell, Tam: Labour MP for Linlithgow Lord Fraser of Carmyllie: Lord Turnbull, Alan QC: prosecutor at Diab, Ramzi: Palestinian terrorist Advocate in charge of fatal accident Lockerbie trial Duff, Alistair: criminal lawyer from inquiry Van Atta, Dale: Washington Times Edinburgh representing Al Megrahi Lord Hardie: the New Labour journalist Elias, Abu: Palestinian terrorist Scottish Lord Advocate who Williamson, ‘Willy’ DCI: Scottish Fereday, Allan: Britain’s foremost dropped out of the trial when he police Lockerbie squad forensics expert became a judge Wilson, Jim: Farmer who reported Fhimah, Lamin: colleague of Giaka, Lord Maclean: judge at Lockerbie trial suitcase of drugs in his field eventually put on trial for the Lord Sutherland QC: chair of bombing Lockerbie trial judges Fieldhouse, Dr David: Police surgeon Maier, Kurt: the man who ran the x-ray Acronyms Forsberg, Ulf: Uppsala district machine at Frankfurt, he did not BKA: The German police prosecutor presiding over Abu Talb give evidence extradition hearing Mandela, Nelson: he was instrumental CIA: Central Intelligence Agency Gadaffi, Colonel: Libyan leader in persuading Gadaffi to release the FAI: Fatal Accident Inquiry Gannon, Matthew: formerly deputy two men for trial FBI: Federal Bureau of CIA station chief in Beirut Marshman, Edward: FBI agent Investigation Gauci, Tony: unfortunate Maltese McColm, DC: Dumfries and Galloway JSO: Libyan Intelligence boutique owner police officer Organisation Gerwel, Jakes, Professor: Secretary to McFadyen, Norman: masterminded the MEBO: Swiss manufacturer of the South African Cabinet and prosecution for the Crown timer former vice chancellor of the McKee, Major Charles: CIA Agent PFLP-GC: Popular Front for the University of the Western Cape, one instrumental in release of hostages Liberation of Palestine – of two men chosen by Nelson in Beirut and victim of the bomb General Command Mandela to negotiate with Colonel Meister, Erwin: director of MEBO, RARDE: Royal Armaments Research Gadaffi Swiss manufacturer of timer and Development Giaka, Majid: Libyan who defected to devices Establishment US claiming to be a Senior Mesbahi, Abolghasem: witness whose UNITA: National Union for the Intelligence Officer claims, disproving Libyan Total Independence of Angola 2 Chapter One THE HUNT FOR THE FIRST SUSPECTS T just after seven in the Aevening, four days before Christmas 1988, what seemed at the time like a fireball smashed into the small Scottish border town of Lockerbie. A Pan Am jumbo jet airliner had exploded in mid-air, killing all its 259 passengers and crew. As the fireball ripped through the town, 11 more were added to the death toll. It was the biggest air disaster in British history, but it was no accident. After an anxious few days over Christmas, it was established that the airliner, Pan Am 103, had been blown up by a bomb. The Lockerbie bombing became the biggest mass murder in British history and led to an international hunt for the murderers – a hunt which was to last for more than twelve years and is still not over. First, it was discovered beyond all Channon. The immediate cause of the CHANNON FODDER doubt that the plane had been blown up row was a press campaign started off LMOST at once it was established by an explosive device. Then it was apparently by a secret “lobby” lunch at A that Pan Am 103 had been blown revealed that the bomb had been which Channon had been the guest of a up by an explosive device, or bomb. disguised in a Toshiba cassette recorder self-styled luncheon club of political Then news broke which shocked and and packed in a suitcase in the aircraft’s journalists. dismayed the relatives. There had, it hold. Then in March 1989, there came The venue for the lunch was a small emerged, been secret warnings that a what seemed to be a breakthrough. dining room at the Garrick club.The five terrorist attack was being planned on A row broke in the House of journalists were Ian Aitken of the American airlines in Europe. Commons over the head of the Guardian, Chris Buckland of Today, Transport secretary of state Paul unfortunate transport secretary Robin Oakley of The Times, Julia Channon, who had not endeared Langdon of the Daily Mirror and her himself to the relatives by flying off on a husband Geoffrey Parkhouse, then of Christmas holiday to the Caribbean the Glasgow Herald. island of Mustique almost immediately The rules of the unofficial luncheon after the disaster, revealed in the House club, which had been set up by of Commons on his return that there Parkhouse and Langdon, were strict; had been no less than 215 warnings anything said by the guest at the lunch against aviation in 1988. was “on lobby terms”, and therefore The most remarkable was a call to could not be directly attributed. These the American embassy in Helsinki, the rules comforted the guests into talking capital of Finland, on 5 December 1988, freely in the certain knowledge that they a fortnight before the disaster. The caller could not be quoted. warned that a Finnish woman would The Budget that March was on carry a bomb onto a Pan Am airliner Tuesday 14 March, and the lunch was from Frankfurt bound for America. two days later, on the 16th. The Exasperated attempts by some of the conversation turned to the Lockerbie relatives to get more information on this disaster, which was to be the subject of and the other warnings were singularly a special statement by the Scottish Lord unsuccessful during those first three Advocate the following day. anxious months after the disaster. More Exactly what Channon said at the news trickled out week by week. Paul Channon lunch can never be established, but it 3 A reproduction of the bomb in the Toshiba cassette led to some extravagant reporting, news for the House of Commons, to notably by Chris Buckland of Today on which he added a surprisingly firm PARKINSON’S LAW 17 March. His report indicated that assurance: “The bomb that caused the FTER a decent interval, Channon Channon was plainly satisfied that disaster had been contained in a radio A was sacked and replaced as thanks to the brilliant detective work by cassette player packed in the luggage – Transport Secretary by Cecil Parkinson, the Dumfries and Galloway police, the luggage which almost certainly did not former chairman of the Tory party who smallest police force in the country, the originate from Heathrow.” So the had resigned as Margaret Thatcher’s Lockerbie bombers would soon be department sent out another circular trade and industry secretary after being brought to book.