Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah, a Libyan man who was cleared after standing trial over the Lockerbie bombing, has died aged 70.

Fhimah was accused of murdering 270 people in the December 1988 attack on Pan Am Flight 103. He was found not guilty, while a second Libyan, Abdulbasset Al Megrahi, was convicted of playing a key role in the bombing of the American airliner. Megrahi died from cancer in 2012 after being freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government.

Fhimah had worked for Libyan Airlines in Malta before the bombing. The charges against both Fhimah and Megrahi were first announced by Scotland and the United States in 1991. However, the indictment against Fhimah announced by the US Government in 1991 remains outstanding.

A Facebook post by Libyan Airlines announced Fhimah's death and expressed condolences to his family.

Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi is reported to have told a Libyan police officer that he took part in a plot to bomb the plane along with Fhimah and Megrahi, when all three were members of the Libyan intelligence service.

Under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011, a suspect can be tried over the same crime a second time if new evidence emerges that substantially strengthens the case against them.

Sources