Judge postpones U.S. trial for Libyan man accused in deadly 1988 Lockerbie bombing, citing new evidence

Key Points:

• A federal judge postponed the trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a former Libyan intelligence official charged with making the bomb that downed Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988, due to newly discovered evidence that the defense needs to review.
• The trial, set to begin jury selection on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., is the first U.S. trial related to the Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people, including 190 Americans.
• The judge cited the complexity of the case and the defense's need to investigate the new evidence as reasons for the delay, with a hearing scheduled for September 1 to discuss the case's status.
• Prosecutors allege Al-Marimi acted under orders from former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and that he was an explosives expert who helped transport the bomb via Malta and Frankfurt before it was loaded onto Flight 103.
• Victims' families expressed mixed reactions to the delay, with some shocked but others hopeful that the new evidence could bring additional truth to the nearly 40-year-old case.