Pan Am Flight 103
Almost over three decades, after the Pan Am Flight 103 was blown over Lockerbie, a small town in Scotland, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew aboard and 11 on the ground, in the worst terrorist act planned by the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Ghadafi, it seemed finally the ghosts of the victims are now seeking their revenge on the man who had escaped punishment for a very long time.
The Lockerbie air disaster sparked a lot of controversies over who was responsible. In July 1988, six months before the Lockerbie bombing, the US shot down an Iranian airbus killing 290 passengers on board.
The Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini vowed he would bitterly revenge. An explosive was planted inside a radio-cassette player with time, triggered by air pressure. The remains of the radio cassette player were found among the wreckage.
Despite this amazing evidence, further investigation revealed that Ghadafi was the man behind this deadly act. The explosives were actually carried out by Abdelbaset al-Megrahi by the orders of Ghadafi but Ghadafi denied every allegation like the one behind the bombing.
International pressure on Ghadafi and the fear of being attacked by coalition forces made him quickly to accept the responsibility of the Lockerbie air disaster.
Ghadafi agreed to pay compensation of 2.7 million dollars to the families of the 270 victims. An agreement that would enable each victim to receive as much as 10 million dollars. The question is why did Ghadafi finally accept responsibility for something he had previously denied?
To make matters worst, the release of the Abdelbaset al Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing caused a lot of provocations and demonstrations worldwide. The family of the victims thought the man should have been kept behind bars for life. The United States of America even called it "miscarriage of justice".
Coalition forces are now trying to topple Ghadafi since he has refused to step down by the demand of the Libyans. In his effort to convince his people and hold on to power, Ghadafi called the West and America rats and cockroaches and urged the Libyans to fight them for the sake of their precious oil, the West and America want so much.
Unfortunately, he has forgotten his involvement in the Lockerbie air disaster also has generated more hatred for him that for a very long time, the West and the United States of America are looking for the best punishment to suit him and now this is the time.
It's unfortunate for the Ghadafi regime that no amount of compensation paid to the family of the victims of the air disaster could help him. The victims' ghosts are seeking their sweet revenge and I think the spirits of the dead would never sleep peacefully in their graves until Ghadafi is overthrown.