Lockerbie bombing anniversary marked

A simple wreath-laying and prayer service in Lockerbie yesterday marked 30 years since a jumbo jet was blown up over the small Scottish town, killing 270 people.Pan Am flight 103 exploded on its way from London to New York a few days before Christmas in 1988, killing all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground.It is the deadliest ever militant attack in Britain. Lockerbie, near the English border, with a population of just 4,000 people, has been synonymous with the tragedy ever since.“Let us find hope and peace for all those who lost loved ones and who still carry the scars of this atrocity,” Jeff Brown, who directed the religious service, told those assembled.The memorial service at Dryfesdale Cemetery was attended by Lord Lieutenant Fiona Armstrong, who conveyed a personal message from Queen Elizabeth.“I send my prayers and good wishes to all those who will be marking this solemn anniversary,” she said.Local MP David Mundell said victims had still not received full justice. “It has not been easy, nor have we been able to achieve the closure we would have wanted, even after 30 years,” he said.“However, throughout, the people in Lockerbie have retained their dignity and stoicism, and offered friendship and support to those who lost loved ones.”Of the victims, 35 were from Syracuse University in New York State, where a memorial was held yesterday.Other US services were held at Arlington National Cemetery and FBI headquarters.Libya admitted responsibility for the bombing in 2003 and the regime of slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi eventually paid $2.7bn in compensation to victims’ families as part of a raft of measures aimed at a rapprochement with the West.Libyan intelligence officer Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was found guilty of the bombing, along with others who were never identified, and was jailed for life in 2001.