Family of Lockerbie bombing victim speaks out after suspect in custody
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The man accused of making the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 is in U.S. custody Monday morning. He is the third Libyan official charged in connection with the 1988 attack over Lockerbie, Scotland but he will be the first to face charges in the United States.
The Justice Department says Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud will face charges in Washington.
Two hundred fifty-nine people on board, including 190 Americans, were killed on a New York-bound flight from London. Eleven people on the ground were also killed.
Kara Wiepz's brother, Rick Minetti of Cherry Hill, was one of the 35 Syracuse University students killed when a bomb blew their plane out of the sky on December 21, 1988. Rick, an aspiring journalist, was studying abroad and on his way home from Christmas break.
Now Rick's sister is glad justice is finally being served after nearly 34 years.
The Justice Department announced the alleged bombmaker is in U.S. custody.
Wiepz was just 15 when she lost her brother and says she's anxious to hear what comes next.
"We have the fortitude, number one, the determination of the families to keep fighting after 34 years, but also the fortitude of our government to keep fighting and holding those people accountable," Wiepz said.
The U.S. initially charged the suspect two years ago when he was in Libyan custody.
According to the DOJ, he's expected to make his initial appearance in the U.S. district court for the District of Columbia.
Two years ago, former Attorney General William Barr announced new charges against Masud citing a confession he made to Libyan authorities back in 2012, as well as his travel records, which allegedly tied him to the crime.