Conspiracy theorists seem to love tragic, newsworthy events. For instance, it wasn't long after the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001 that books and documentary films started appearing to say that it wasn't really Al-Qaeda that was responsible. Another act of terrorism still has people talking even after more than two decades and some even call for a new Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation.
The greatest aviation disaster in British history took place on December 21, 1988. Soon after taking off from Heathrow Airport in London, an airplane of the Pan Am airline exploded in the air over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The initial investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a bomb on the plane.
The explosion caused the aircraft to disintegrate. All passengers and crew were killed. However, the disaster was made worse when pieces of the plane fell onto Lockerbie and killed a further 11 people who were living in the town. A total of 270 people died, of which 189 were American. Britain lost 43 of its citizens and other victims came from countries as diverse as Argentina, India, Jamaica and South Africa.
After an investigation lasting three years, two Libyan nationals were accused of the bombing. They were only handed over for trial in 1999 and eventually one was found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed twice and was eventually released on compassionate grounds in 2009. Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.
Several conspiracy theories have arisen about the Lockerbie bombing, claiming that Libya was framed. One of the theories involves the CIA, which had allegedly been running a drug-smuggling operation on the route in exchange for information about hostage situations in Syria. Two of the passengers on the flight were American intelligence officers who, the theory goes, were on their way to the US to blow the whistle on the operation.
Another theory which was formed not long after the incident involved South Africa's apartheid government. South Africa was on the verge of finally handing over Namibia to UN control. The UN commissioner who was to take over Namibian rule until the country's independence was killed in the bombing, while a delegation that included the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs was supposed to be on the flight but escaped death when they took another flight instead.
Calls for an independent inquiry into the incident have been growing more vocal over the years. Online petitions asked that such an inquiry should be led by the UN and should try to find the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing. Family member of some victims signed the petitions, along with some prominent members of society.
It is uncertain whether there ever will be a new inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing. However since not all the legal proceedings surrounding the case have been finalized yet, the plane's recovered wreckage is still being kept as evidence. This means that a new Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation would not be impossible.
The greatest aviation disaster in British history took place on December 21, 1988. Soon after taking off from Heathrow Airport in London, an airplane of the Pan Am airline exploded in the air over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The initial investigation showed that the explosion was caused by a bomb on the plane.
The explosion caused the aircraft to disintegrate. All passengers and crew were killed. However, the disaster was made worse when pieces of the plane fell onto Lockerbie and killed a further 11 people who were living in the town. A total of 270 people died, of which 189 were American. Britain lost 43 of its citizens and other victims came from countries as diverse as Argentina, India, Jamaica and South Africa.
After an investigation lasting three years, two Libyan nationals were accused of the bombing. They were only handed over for trial in 1999 and eventually one was found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, appealed twice and was eventually released on compassionate grounds in 2009. Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing and paid compensation to the victims' families.
Several conspiracy theories have arisen about the Lockerbie bombing, claiming that Libya was framed. One of the theories involves the CIA, which had allegedly been running a drug-smuggling operation on the route in exchange for information about hostage situations in Syria. Two of the passengers on the flight were American intelligence officers who, the theory goes, were on their way to the US to blow the whistle on the operation.
Another theory which was formed not long after the incident involved South Africa's apartheid government. South Africa was on the verge of finally handing over Namibia to UN control. The UN commissioner who was to take over Namibian rule until the country's independence was killed in the bombing, while a delegation that included the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs was supposed to be on the flight but escaped death when they took another flight instead.
Calls for an independent inquiry into the incident have been growing more vocal over the years. Online petitions asked that such an inquiry should be led by the UN and should try to find the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing. Family member of some victims signed the petitions, along with some prominent members of society.
It is uncertain whether there ever will be a new inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing. However since not all the legal proceedings surrounding the case have been finalized yet, the plane's recovered wreckage is still being kept as evidence. This means that a new Pan Am flight 103 air crash investigation would not be impossible.
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