Libya foreign minister's defection 'could reveal details on Lockerbie'

Musa Kusa’s defection to Britain is a “great day” for relatives of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing, a relative of one of the victims said today.

Musa Kusa’s defection to Britain is a “great day”, a relative of one of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing said today.

Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the atrocity, said Kusa was at the heart of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s government and “could tell us everything” about the bombing.

Two hundred and seventy people died when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie in December 1998.

Mr Swire said “Today those relatives who seek the truth about why their families were killed should be rejoicing.

“Kusa was at the centre of Gaddafi’s inner circle. This is a guy who knows everything.

“I think this is a fantastic day for those who seek the truth about Lockerbie.

“He could tell us everything the Gaddafi regime knows.”

Mr Swire, who met Kusa during a visit to Libya in 1998, said he was “extremely frightening. More frightening than Gaddafi himself”.

He said: “He was clearly running things. If Libya was involved in Lockerbie, he can tell us how they carried out the atrocity and why.

“I would be appalled if by now the Scottish police are not in England interviewing Mr Kusa. It is a great day for us.”