“Cretton [Real name : Swiss Inspector Hans Knaus] expressed his concerns (…) The first was that the CIA had planted the chip [PT/35(b)] in the wreckage found at Lockerbie. [Detective Superintendant (SIO) Stuart] Henderson and I told him this thought had also crossed our minds. Neither of us believed the CIA or any government official would do such a thing, but we had discussed the possibility.”
FBI Agent Richard Marquise
March 28 2025 — The BBC and Netflix have released first-look pictures of The Bombing of Pan Am 103, the forthcoming drama based on the “true story of the bombing of a passenger flight over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988” and the quest to bring the perpetrators to justice. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
RELATED POST : Lockerbie – Three Decades of Lies: J’Accuse…! [Chapter VIII : PT/35(b) — The Most Expensive Forgery in History]
RELATED POST : Lockerbie – Three Decades of Lies: J’Accuse…! [Chapter XI : J’Accuse!]
RELATED POST : On This Day — Pan Am Flight 103 disintegrates over Lockerbie (December 21 1988) [UPDATE — New Lockerbie Documentary is a Total Flop]
RELATED POST : Lockerbie : Why I ruled out the bomb theory [Technical Analysis of the Debris Lines]
“Interesting that Megrahi was in the Lockerbie frame in October 1989, a year before the police heard about him through Bollier.”
John Ashton
Email to Intel Today
June 2, 2016
UPDATE (June 26, 2025) — The FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and the U.S. Department of Justice are now seeking to identify all victims eligible for services in the case of United States v. Abu Agila Mohammed Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (DC-22-cr-392-DLF).
And this brings back some memories…
On May 23, 2016, I wrote a short piece titled: “Weird CIA CABLE – 17 OCT 1989.” That cable stood out for two bizarre reasons.
First, it named Megrahi before Libya was even publicly in the picture. And strangely, it confused Megrahi and Masud — treating them as if they were the same person.
Let that sink in… A full year before any supposed intel regarding the infamous fragment PT/35(b), the CIA already had Megrahi in their sights — and had already merged his identity with Masud’s?
Strange…
Back then — nearly a decade ago — I ended that post with a tongue-in-cheek prophecy:
“Next thing you know, we will be told that ‘MASUD’ bought the clothes in Malta.”
Intel Today
(May 23, 2016)
Well…
On December 21, 2020, Attorney General William P. Barr marked the 32nd anniversary of the Pan Am 103 bombing with a statement. In it, the Department of Justice noted:
“The conclusion that Megrahi purchased the clothing at Mary’s House on December 7, 1988, is the subject of ongoing litigation in Scotland, where Megrahi’s family is pursuing a posthumous appeal of his conviction.
The government still believes that this allegation is accurate. Other clothing items that were determined by RARDE to have likely originated from within the IED suitcase probably did not originate from Mary’s House.
For example, at least one item of clothing—a shoe—is unlikely to have originated from Mary’s House based on the proprietor’s statement that he never sold shoes at that store.
Based on this statement, and your affiant’s review, inter alia, of the other evidence recounted above, it is your affiant’s conclusion that it is possible that MASUD purchased or provided some of the items that were put into the IED suitcase, in addition to those that were purchased by Megrahi at Mary’s House on December 7.”
From prophecy to reality — or just a masterclass in bureaucratic convenience? Either way, isn’t it quaint how the tangled story of Megrahi, Mas’ud, Bollier—and those Mary’s House garments keeps evolving just in time for the next anniversary?
It’s like an espionage soap opera with plot twists scripted by committee—and everyone’s apparently auditioning for the part of “most confusing suspect.”
So there you have it. In 1989, they couldn’t tell Megrahi and Masud apart. In 2020, they decided both of them bought the clothes.
Apparently, 30 years of investigation leads to this stunning revelation: When in doubt, just say “they both did it.”
Justice, retrofitted to fit the narrative.
END of UPDATE
“This isn’t a normal criminal case.”
Judge Dabney Friedrich
UPDATE (June 6, 2025) — Trial of Abu Agila Masud Delayed Until April 2026
The BBC just confirmed that the trial is now scheduled to start in April, 2026. The date was set at the District of Columbia District Court. [The long wait for answers over the Lockerbie bombing grows longer]
Masud has been in US custody since December 2022 and has pled not guilty to the charges.
“The new trial date was fixed after a joint motion submitted by the prosecution and the defence, both of whom raised the international nature of the evidence and witnesses.
A series of crucial legal arguments will have to be resolved before the trial can go ahead, with the judge Dabney Friedrich describing the 20 April date as ‘tentative.’
Those will include the admissibility of a confession Masud is alleged to have made while in custody in 2012, following the collapse of Colonel Gaddafi’s regime.
Another complication is the fact that new information on the case is still emerging, almost four decades after the attack.”
At least three depositions of foreign citizens will have to take place outside the US before the trial begins, according to the court transcript.
Judge Friedrich warned that if things are not done in a timely manner, there’s a risk the trial could “slip” into 2027.
END of UPDATE
“The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.”
Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird
UPDATE (May 31, 2025) — Trial of Abu Agila Masud Likely Delayed Until Spring 2026
The trial of Abu Agila Masud, the Libyan intelligence official accused of building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, is likely to be postponed until at least April 2026. The proposed delay — requested jointly by U.S. prosecutors and defense attorneys — must still be approved by a federal judge.
According to court filings, the main reason for the delay is the extraordinary complexity of the case. Much of the evidence is scattered across multiple countries, requiring extensive international cooperation, logistical planning, and legal coordination. This has made it difficult for both sides to prepare adequately for trial.
A central piece of evidence is an alleged confession Masud made in 2012 while imprisoned in Libya. Defense attorneys argue that the statement was obtained under duress and may be inadmissible in a U.S. court. Legal arguments over whether that confession can be used at trial are expected to be contentious and potentially pivotal.
Analysis: Justice, Delays, and the Role of Technical Evidence
While the delay may frustrate families of the 270 victims — many of whom have waited decades for justice — it reflects the high stakes and legal sensitivities surrounding the case. Trying an international terrorism case involving decades-old evidence is inherently difficult. Political instability in Libya, the patchwork of international legal systems, and the reliance on potentially coerced testimony all complicate efforts to ensure a fair and thorough trial.
Adding another layer of complexity is the scheduled 2026 declassification of technical documents related to the Lockerbie disaster. These materials, believed to include engineering and forensic analyses of the explosion and aircraft damage, were reclassified after previously being slated for release — an unusual and controversial move.
Although these documents do not concern intelligence sources, they may prove crucial for both sides in evaluating the physical evidence and forensic narrative at the heart of the prosecution’s case.
That importance is underscored by the shadow of former FBI explosives expert Thomas Thurman, a key figure in the original Lockerbie investigation. Thurman played a central role in identifying key forensic links — but his credibility was later seriously questioned. In 1997, he was removed from active casework after internal investigations found he had overstepped his authority by claiming scientific conclusions without proper credentials or peer review.
Knowing what is now publicly documented about Thurman’s methods, defense lawyers are expected to examine the forthcoming technical documents with particular intensity, looking for flaws, gaps, or contradictions in the forensic conclusions that originally shaped the indictment and public narrative.
Whether the timing of the trial delay and the documents anticipated release is coincidental or strategic, the outcome could be significant. If these documents (if released as planned) were to contradict past findings — or reveals alternative interpretations — it could reshape the courtroom dynamics entirely.
Ultimately, this is not just a legal trial, but a test of forensic accountability. Ensuring the evidence can withstand modern scrutiny is not a delay of justice — it may be the only way to achieve it. Stay tuned!
END of UPDATE
“Williams and Thurman merit special censure for their work. It recommends that Thurman, who has a degree in political science, be reassigned outside the Explosives Unit laboratory and that only scientists work in its explosives section.”
US DOJ/OIG Report on the FBI Forensic Laboratory
(April 15 1997)
UPDATE (May 19, 2025) — Defending the Indefensible? Eddie Marsan’s Comments on Discredited FBI Agent Tom Thurman Raise Eyebrows
Actor Eddie Marsan portrays FBI agent Tom Thurman in the upcoming series. Thurman, a forensic examiner in the FBI’s Explosives Unit, played a central role in assembling the case against the two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie investigation.
Marsan recently remarked:
“When I met Tom, he’s such a fascinating man. He’s got a twinkle in his eye, he loves to solve puzzles, and he was just a brilliant character to play.”
While actors are often drawn to complex roles, they should also be mindful of the real-world implications of their portrayals—especially when dealing with figures surrounded by serious controversy.
Tom Thurman is not a neutral character in this history. He has been the subject of significant allegations, including accusations of fabricating forensic evidence and overstepping his authority in multiple high-profile cases, including Lockerbie.
Given this well-documented history, it is difficult to understand how any actor could publicly praise or appear to defend such a figure based solely on a brief personal encounter. Casual admiration should not override the need for critical scrutiny.
In this context, Marsan’s remarks come across as, at best, naïve—and at worst, as an irresponsible dismissal of the controversies that continue to surround Thurman’s role in one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in modern history.
END of UPDATE
“It is striking to note the similarity of the ‘scientific’ evidence discovered by the FBI’s Tom Thurman in both the Lockerbie and UTA cases. Of the tens of thousands of pieces of debris collected at each disaster site, one lone piece of printed circuit was found and, miracle of miracles, in each case the fragment bore markings that allowed for positive identification: MEBO in the Lockerbie case and TY in the case of UTA Flight 772. Despite the common findings of the DCPJ, the DST and the Prefecture of Police crime laboratory, Judge Bruguière chose to believe Thurman, the expert in fabricating evidence.”
Pierre Péan
African Manipulations
“Both Martz and Thurman were fully aware of the fact that they were in violation of procedures and protocols of the FBI Laboratory and did knowingly and purposely commit perjury and obstruction of justice in this matter.”
Dr. Frederic Whitehurst
Memorandum to FBI Scientific Analysis Chief James Kearny, 1991
UPDATE (May 5 2025) — NETFLIX: From the Fall of Saigon to the Crash of PA103 over Lockerbie
Netflix has released a compelling new five-part documentary series titled Turning Point: The Vietnam War to mark the anniversary of the fall of Saigon (April 30, 1975).
To my surprise and admiration, my friend Dr. Frederic Whitehurst is featured in the series. As many of my readers know, Whitehurst famously exposed misconduct within the FBI’s Explosives Unit and was sharply critical of Thomas Thurman.
Dr. Whitehurst has long rejected the official account of the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie.
His whistleblower memos describe a disturbing pattern of forensic malpractice, particularly implicating FBI examiners like Thurman and Martz, among many others. In a 1991 memo, Whitehurst accused both men of knowingly committing perjury and obstructing justice.
Our mutual friend, William Tobin, another former FBI scientist and Vietnam War veteran, has also spoken out against the Bureau’s distortion of forensic evidence.
Tobin notably challenged the FBI’s narrative of the TWA 800 disaster, asserting that the evidence did not support the claim of a bomb. He, too, has found my analysis of the Lockerbie case — concluding that no bomb was involved — both compelling and credible.
Meanwhile, the BBC is preparing to release The Bombing of Pan Am 103, a new factual drama created by World Productions (Line of Duty, Anne), written by Jonathan Lee. The series premieres on BBC One and iPlayer starting Sunday, May 18, with episodes airing Sundays and Mondays at 9 p.m., and will arrive on Netflix globally soon after.
The Turning Point documentary also sheds light on the class and racial inequalities of the Vietnam draft. While working-class Black youths were sent to the front lines, well-connected white men often evaded service.
Thomas Thurman, for example, was never deployed to combat. Instead, he was assigned to watch over a munitions depot in a nearby safe country. Despite this limited experience — and a degree in political science — Thurman rose to prominence as the FBI’s lead explosives expert.
Why now?
Why do these strands—scattered across decades of war, silence, and wreckage—suddenly draw themselves into eerie alignment?
Dr. Whitehurst resurfaces in a global docuseries. A long-suppressed memo accuses an FBI explosives chief of perjury.
In France, former President Nicolas Sarkozy stands trial in a corruption case tied to the UTA 772 bombing—an attack with deep echoes of Lockerbie, once deemed closed.
And across the Atlantic, the U.S. prepares to try Abu Agila Masud, the alleged bomb-maker, in a courtroom that may finally confront the crumbling architecture of the official narrative.
Carl Jung called it synchronicity—a meaningful coincidence without apparent cause.
But perhaps this is more than coincidence. Perhaps it is the unconscious — personal, political, historical — forcing itself to the surface. Patterns long denied. Myths unraveling. The war. The whistleblower. The wreckage. The reckoning.
Watch closely. Something long-buried is speaking again.
END of UPDATE
“What we were doing was wrong. It was scientifically, legally wrong. It was perjury. It was a crime.”
Dr. Frederic Whitehurst
Former FBI chemist and whistleblower
March 28 2025 — Made by World Productions, with lead writer Jonathan Lee, the six-part series follows the untold story of the Scots-US investigation into the attack and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones.
From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the series leads up to the upcoming new trial in the US. [BBC and Netflix release first-look at forthcoming drama The Bombing of Pan Am 103]
The cast includes Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes, Sex Education), Patrick J. Adams (Suits, A League of Their Own), Merritt Wever (Unbelievable, Severance), Peter Mullan (Ozark, Payback), Tony Curran (Mary & George, Mayflies), Douglas Hodge (The Great, Catastrophe), Eddie Marsan (The Power, Ray Donovan), Nicholas Gleaves (After The Flood, The Rising) Lauren Lyle (Karen Pirie, Vigil), Andrew Rothney (The Undeclared War, Traces), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey, Guilt), Cora Bissett (Annika, Shetland), Kevin McKidd (Greys Anatomy, Six Four), Parker Sawyers (Spy/Master, P-Valley), James Harkness (The Sixth Commandment, The Victim), Molly Geddes (Dinosaur, Where We Stop), Khalid Laith (Vigil, Cobra), and Amanda Drew (The Gold, Wolf).
Interestingly, the series was originally titled Lockerbie. But apparently, someone deemed it necessary to rename the series as Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103. As I have explained, there is ZERO evidence of a bomb having caused the tragedy of Pan Am 103. I have summarized all my research on this subject in a single graphic.
“Exactly the same forensic scientists who produced the wrongful conviction of Guiseppe Conlon, the Maguire family and of Danny McNamee, and had been stood down for the role they played. Yet here they were. Without them, there wouldn’t have been a prosecution, far less a conviction in Lockerbie. (…) What shocked me most was that I thought that all that had been gone through on Guildford and Birmingham, the one thing that had been achieved was that nobody would be convicted again on bad science. But yet in the Lockerbie case, it isn’t just the same bad science, it is the same bad scientists.”
Gareth Peirce — Solicitor for the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six
I believe the key piece of evidence — PT/35(b) — was fabricated and planted at Lockerbie to incriminate Libya and justify severe sanctions against the country. Thomas Thurman, the FBI agent credited with identifying PT/35(b), later admitted during legal proceedings that he had been instructed by his superiors to lie to a Grand Jury in order to cover up the CIA’s involvement with the Swiss timer.
“Thurman and other examiners rendered conclusions supporting the prevailing investigative or prosecutorial theory but which were unsupported by scientific fact. (…) I put no credence into any scientific or technical conclusions rendered by anyone without a suitable scientific background.”
William Tobin
Former FBI Engineer
(Email to Intel Today)
Intel Today 