Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Lockerbie : A hunt for Truthdramatizes the events surrounding the deadly terrorist onset in British account and a grieving founding father ’s campaign for jurist . cyclosis on Peacockin the U.S. and Now television receiver in the UK , this five - part miniseries chronicles the aftermath of the bombardment of Pan Am Flight 103 . Having misplace his girl in the attack , English doctor Jim Swire spent years buttonhole for the truth to ensure that the culprit would be identify . Colin Firth leadstheLockerbiecastin the theatrical role of Swire , anchoring the serial with a sinewy portrayal of grief and righteous outrage .
The serial publication ’ dramatization of events is intercut with documentary footage of contemporary intelligence written report covering the blast and then - sitting politician like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan react to it . TheLockerbietraileralready promised a full and frank depiction of the bombing and its consequence , and the series examines it in the depth it requires . As the hatchway statute title card of each episode suggests , Lockerbie : A Search for Truthtells the story of the Lockerbie bombing with some dramatic embellishments . So , what really happened to Pan Am Flight 103 , and what did Swire do to buttonhole for justice ?
Pan Am Flight 103 Was Exploded With A Bomb In 1988, Killing 270 People
All 243 Passengers & 16 Crew Members Were Killed, With An Additional 11 Casualties In Lockerbie
Pan Am Flight 103 was a on a regular basis scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight of steps from Frankfurt to Detroit , with two stop in London and New York City . The flight of stairs was conduct on a Boeing 747 dubbed “ Clipper Maid of the Seas , ” under the bidding of oldtimer Pan Am pilot Captain James B. MacQuarrie . Swire ’s girl Flora boarded the sheet in London so she could visit her American boyfriend in New York for Christmas . Shortly after 19:00 on December 21 , 1988,as the airplane was fly over the Scottish townsfolk of Lockerbie , a bomb calorimeter hidden onboard detonate .
The explosion and subsequent collapse killed all 243 passengers onboard and all 16 gang members . Parts of the aircraft gate-crash onto a residential street in Lockerbie , killing a further 11 people . With a sum of 270 casualties , the Lockerbie bombing is the deadliest terrorist onrush in the history of the UK .
Jim Swire Lobbied For Bringing Suspects To Trial For Years After His Daughter, Flora, Was Killed Onboard
Swire Became A Spokesperson For UK Families Flight 103
After the Lockerbie bombing , probe were launched in both the U.S. and the UK . Extra security measures were go through at airport in the hope of preventing interchangeable attacks in the future . However , Swire — and many family unit members of the great unwashed who die in the crash — mature frustrated that the investigations were grant no results and did n’t seem to be a priority . Swire persistently spell letters and gave audience to keep the investigations goingand keep insurance coverage of Pan Am Flight 103 in the medium cycle .
Swire — and many class phallus of people who died in the crash — grew defeated that the investigations were yielding no results .
Swire became a spokesperson for UK Families Flight 103 , a group of relatives of those who had died on Flight 103 . to demonstrate that the new aerodrome security measure meter were n’t good , on May 18 , 1990,Swire brought a phoney bomb — with marzipan as a fill-in for plastic explosives — onto a British Airways flightfrom London to New York , then another flying from New York to Boston ( as depicted in the second episode of the series ) . Although the stunt was controversial , it did prove that the raw security measures would not prevent a repetition of the Lockerbie bombardment .
Swire planted a memorial wood for his girl called Flora ’s Wood .
There was no movement on the slip for years — since there was no extradition treaty between any of the countries involved , getting the suspects to run became unexpectedly sly — but Swire proceed to lobby for the suspects to be brought to test . Swire chronicled his efforts in a book , co - authored with Peter Biddulph , entitledThe Lockerbie Bombing : A Father ’s Search for Justice . This book has formed the groundwork for the series .
What Happened During The Investigation Into The Lockerbie Bombing
An IED Was Hidden Inside A Radio Cassette Player
The investigation into the Lockerbie bombing began straight off after the blast . The U.S. and the UK each launched their own investigations into the plan of attack . In the U.S. , the slip was superintend by the head of the Justice Department ’s vicious division , Robert Mueller . In the UK , when the subject became a political offspring , Thatcher announced that the investigation would be funded by key government , not the Scottish Office . After traces of high explosive were discovered , it was determined that the plane had been destroyed using an improvise volatile equipment ( IED).A search party recovered four million piecesat the crash site .
After traces of mellow explosive were discovered , it was decide that the plane had been destroyed using an ad-lib explosive twist ( IED ) .
The investigation find thatthe perpetrators had intend for the plane to crash into the sea , which would destroy any evidencethat could be traced back to them . However , the plane ’s departure clock time was delay , so the explosion took place over Lockerbieand left behind a test of evidence . The IED was enshroud inside a radio cassette player , which is how the culprit deal to get it through security .
Who Was Accused Of The Bombing Of Pan Am Flight 103 & Who Took Responsibility
Two Libyan Men, Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi & Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, Were Accused
In November 1991 , after a three - year joint investigation by the FBI and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary , arrest stock-purchase warrant were issued for two Libyan human being : Abdelbaset al - Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah . However , due to UN authorisation and all-inclusive talks , it would be eight years before the military personnel stood trial . In 1999 , Libyan loss leader Muammar Gaddafi handed over the two human beings to fend visitation at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands . In 2001,Fhimah was observe not guilty and was exonerate , but Megrahi was see guilty by unanimous conclusion of the courtand condemn to life incarceration .
Abdelbaset al - Megrahi go on May 20 , 2012 , at age 60 .
In 2003,Gaddafi accepted Libya ’s responsibility for the Lockerbie bombingand pay more than $ 1 billion in compensation to the dupe ’ kinfolk , which is practically unheard of for a terrorist blast . Gaddafi assert that he had n’t regularize the bombing , but acknowledged that Megrahi ’s role as a regime employee made the bombardment Libya ’s responsibility . However , in 2011 , during the First Libyan Civil War , former Minister of Justice Mustafa Abdul Jalilclaimed that Gaddafi had , in fact , personally rank the Lockerbie bombing . Still , Megrahi stay the only person ever convict in the Pan Am Flight 103 investigation .
Dr. Jim Swire’s relentless quest for justice unfolds after losing his daughter in the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy over Lockerbie. This series follows his transcontinental journey that challenges his trust in the justice system and impacts his stability, family, and worldview.
Jim Swire Began The Justice For Megrahi Campaign & Advocated For His Release For Years After His Conviction
Swire Was Convinced That Megrahi Was Innocent
On November 16 , 2005 , Swire met with Megrahi in the governor ’s office , which is used as a sort of framing equipment inLockerbie : A Search for Truth . Swire became positive that Megrahi was ingenuous and had been wrongfully convict . In 2008 , he ground the Justice for Megrahi Campaign , which sought an interim release from jail for Megrahi — who had been diagnose with prostate malignant neoplastic disease — so that he could return to his fellowship in Libya pending his 2d charm against conviction .
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Dr. Jim Swire ’s unforgiving seeking for Justice Department unfold after misplace his girl in the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy over Lockerbie . This series follows his transcontinental journey that challenges his trust in the justice scheme and affect his stability , sept , and worldview .
