One of Scotland’s most enduring and controversial criminal investigations is returning to the spotlight in a new BBC Scotland podcast series examining fresh evidence surrounding the Lockerbie bombing.
The six part series, Lockerbie, follows journalist Myles Bonnar as he revisits the investigation into the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103, which claimed the lives of 270 people in December 1988.
The series launches at a significant moment, with alleged bomb maker Abu Agila Masud due to stand trial in Washington DC.
Masud denies the allegations against him, while American prosecutors believe the trial could reveal new details about how the bombing was planned and carried out.
Produced by BBC Scotland for Radio 4’s Intrigue strand and BBC Sounds, the series explores the evidence gathered over nearly four decades, while examining why questions and competing theories have continued long after the original conviction.
Abdelbaset al Megrahi remains the only person convicted of the bombing, although he maintained his innocence until his death in 2012 and doubts surrounding the investigation have persisted ever since.
Throughout the series, Bonnar speaks with Scottish investigators, intelligence officers, journalists, legal experts, campaigners and relatives of those who died in the disaster.
Among those interviewed is Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the bombing and who continues to argue that the original investigation reached the wrong conclusion.
The podcast also examines intelligence gathered from a Libyan double agent known as “Puzzle Piece” and explores the so called Senussi Files, documents recovered from the ruins of Libya’s intelligence headquarters following the 2011 uprising.
Those files are said to raise fresh questions about Megrahi and other alleged conspirators.
As the new trial begins in the United States, the series asks whether the latest evidence could finally answer some of the questions that have surrounded the Lockerbie bombing for almost forty years.
Myles Bonnar said:
“Lockerbie remains a story filled with questions, extraordinary characters and profound human loss.
“As new developments bring renewed attention to the case, this series explores the evidence, the controversies, and the enduring search for answers.”
Lockerbie will be available on 22 July when all episodes will be made available on BBC Sounds
