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CNN Live At Daybreak

Appeal of Libyan Convicted in Pan Am 103 Attack Rejected

Aired March 14, 2002 - 05:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just a short time ago, Scottish judges rejected the appeal of the Libyan agent convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Our Chris Burns is at the former U.S. air base of Camp Zeiss in the Netherlands where the decision was announced -- good morning, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. In fact, the decision was made in a former basketball court just over my shoulder here that was refurbished into a courtroom. This case has been a wrenching case.

If there ever was an image before September 11 of airline terrorism, it was this one. It was the Pan Am Flight 103 747 that exploded in the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, spreading parts, body parts, luggage, all kinds of debris over 200 square miles across Scotland -- the Scottish countryside.

The investigators over 12 years pieced together this 747, pieced together the evidence and found that a Libyan agent was the one that they believe was behind this bombing. This was the man who was the subject today in this appeal. His name is Abel Beset Al-Megrahi. He appealed his decision, the decision that convicted him, sending him 20 years -- at least 20 years to prison in Scotland.

The argument by the defense was that he was wrongly convicted, because of circumstantial evidence. He was the one that, according to the prosecutors, who bought the clothes in a Malta shop that were wrapped around the bomb that blew up.

Now, the man who identified him did not identify him 100 percent. There was a bit of doubt there. Also, some recent evidence that was unearthed was that there was a security guard at Heathrow Airport just outside of London where the plane, the Pan Am 103 took off before it exploded. That security guard said there was a breach of security the night before the bomb went off before the plane exploded. That somebody broke into the baggage section where the Pan Am 103 would have been loaded up. And so the defense was saying that was grounds for throwing the case out and reopening the investigation.

Now that, the judges, they declined, and here is the decision that they read today.

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WILLIAM DOUGLAS CULLEN, HEAD JUDGE: For the reason given in the opinion in which we all concur, we have concluded that none of the grounds of appeal is well founded. The appeal will accordingly be refused.

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