Pan Am Flight 103 Conspiracy

On December 21, 1988, New York bound Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Investigators later found fragments of plastic explosives and a Toshiba laptop (Verdict in the Trial of the Lockerbie Bombing Suspect). Only two people were ever charged: Libyans Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah. The CIA and FBI accused both men of being Libyan Intelligence Agents. Al Megrahi was the only suspect charged with bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The biggest motive for Libya to attack flight 103 was that President Ronald Reagan began bombing Libya in April of 1988. In 2003, Muammar Gaddafi admitted Libya’s responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing; he paid 2.7 billion dollars in compensation to the victim’s family (Fact Sheet: Additional Information On The Bombing Of Pan Am Flight 103). Muammar Gaddafi and his officials ordered the destruction of Pan Am flight 103. …show more content…
Gaddafi targeted the Americans for retribution for small conflicts in the Gulf of Sidra. The Gulf of Sidra stretches from Tripoli to Benghazi. The US Navy sunk four Libyan ships and two Libyan fighter jets. Gaddafi ordered the destruction of a West German nightclub for revenge for the sunken ships. US soldiers often visited the club. Three soldiers perished while 230 sustained injuries in the attack. Because of this, President Reagan began to bomb Libya in 1986. Yet, another reason to bomb flight 103 was Reagan. Reagan was in his fourth day of peace talks with Mikhail Gorbachev. With Reagan out of the US, Qaddafi had a perfect time to strike. Another reason was Bernt Carlsson was on flight 103 heading towards New York. Carlsson was the UN Assistant Secretary-General and United Nations Commissioner for Namibia. In total, 189 Americans died in the bombing. This suggests that Qaddafi destroyed flight 103 only for retaliation against