Two new Libyan suspects identified in 1988 Lockerbie bombing

 

Scottish and United States officials agree "there is a proper basis in law... to treat two Libyans as suspects in the continuing investigation into the bombing of flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie," according to a statement released by prosecutors.

 

"The two individuals are suspected of involvement, along with Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi," it added.

 

Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing in 2001. He is the only person ever convicted of the crime.

 

Scotland's lead prosector on Thursday issued an International Letter of Request to the Libyan attorney general in Tripoli, which identifies the suspects and calls for cooperation.

 

"The Lord Advocate and the US Attorney General are seeking the assistance of the Libyan judicial authorities for Scottish police officers and the FBI to interview the two named suspects in Tripoli," the statement said.

 

The Scottish government released Megrahi on compassionate grounds in 2009 after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died in Libya in 2012 still protesting his innocence.

 

Libya admitted responsibility for the bombing in 2003 and the government of slain leader Muammar Gaddafi eventually paid $2.7 billion in compensation to victims' families as part of a raft of measures aimed at a rapprochement with the West.

 

Since the fall of the Gaddafi regime in 2011, British and US detectives have travelled to Libya to investigate whether other perpetrators can be identified.