Lockerbie case 'proved beyond reasonable doubt' court hears

The case against two Libyans accused of carrying out the Lockerbie bombing has been proved "beyond reasonable doubt", according to prosecutors.

Alastair Campbell QC urged the judges to convict the pair of murder - dropping the other two charges of conspiracy to murder and a breach of aviation law.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 48, and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, 44, deny carrying out the Pan Am bombing, in which an aircraft exploded over Lockerbie on December 21 1988 killing all 259 passengers and crew and 11 residents on the ground.

Beginning his final legal argument on the 78th day of the trial at Camp Zeist in Holland, Mr Campbell said: "This is a circumstantial case: the evidence comes from a number of sources which when taken together provided a corroborated case both as to the commission of the crime and the identity of the perpetrators.

"I invite you to convict of murder."

Mr Campbell said the build-up of such circumstantial evidence clearly linked Al Megrahi to the Lockerbie tragedy.

Al Megrahi was a "high-ranking officer" in the Libyan intelligence services and evidence showed a connection between him and the delivery of timers purchased from a Swiss firm for use with explosives.

The Libyans are accused of being involved in placing an unaccompanied suitcase containing a bomb on board an Air Malta flight tagged for onward travel aboard doomed Flight Pan Am 103 to New York via Heathrow.

Mr Campbell said it had been shown Fhimah was a close friend of Al Megrahi and the two travelled together to Malta on the eve of the bombing.

Fhimah's diary had recorded Al Megrahi's travel arrangements and included a reminder to Fhimah himself to pick up Air Malta luggage tags and take them to Al Megrahi.

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow, when Mr Campbell will continue the prosecution's closing arguments.