Lockerbie: London Origin Theory

[Rolfe]

Yes, but going on from your quote,

The Libyans probably had a role in it, he told Brokaw, because they had a large cache of Semtex explosives and about 20,000 pounds of C4, its American equivalent, supplied by CIA renegade Edmund Wilson. They also had access to electronic timers and other components, and the necessary expertise to construct a sophisticated explosive device. For some years, he said, the Libyans had acted as quartermasters for terrorist groups around the world.
Coleman went on to suggest that the Iranians had probably inspired the attack and commissioned Syrian-backed terrorists to carry it out, but that part of the interview was not aired.
If Brokaw had asked him how they had managed to get a bomb aboard Flight 103, Coleman would have had to pass, because he didn't know he knew.

It wasn't till April 1989 that Sheila Hershow contacted him about Jafaar, and he immediately realised that a DEA drug courier had been on the plane.

'Okay,' she said. 'I'm going to send you a picture. And I want you to tell me if you know who it is. If you ever saw him before. Will you do that for me?'
'Sure. Why not? Is it somebody I knew out there?'
'I don't know. You tell me.'
The picture was faxed to him two days later. It was of a young man, an Arab, about 20 years old, and, after penciling in a moustache, Coleman recognized him at once.
'That's Khalid Nazir Jafaar,' he told Hershow. 'Nice kid. We used to call him Nazzie.'
'Well, well,' she said. 'That's interesting. You mind telling me how you know him?'
'Nazzie was one of the boys, one of Hurley's people. The DEA had a front operation in Nicosia, down the street from the embassy. The Eurame Trading Company. That's where I worked. And that's where I met Nazzie. Saw him there several times.'
'Well, well,' she said again. There was a funny note in her voice. 'The Jafaars -- they're into heroin, right?'
'Biggest in the Bekaa. Or they were until the Syrians moved in. The Jafaars were Lucky Luciano's heroin connection. They go back a long way in the dope business.'
'This kid, Nazzie -- are you saying he worked for the DEA?'
'Oh, sure. And probably for the CIA as well. Seemed like the whole damn family were CIA assets.'
'But why? I mean, why would they want to work for the US government?'
'Why? Hell, the Jafaars'll work for anybody against the Syrians -- they hate 'em so bad. They'd do anything to get Assad off their backs.'
'Okay. So what did he do?'
'Nazzie? Well, he was under age to be an informant, so he was probably on the DEA books as a subsource. I know for a fact he ran two or three controlled deliveries of heroin into Detroit.'
'You mean he was a DEA courier?'
'Among other things. But how come you're interested in Nazzie?'
'You don't know?'
'No, I kind of lost touch with those people when I got back here, you know how it is. I've no idea what he's doing now.'
'He's dead,' she said.
'Yeah? Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Like I say, he was a nice kid. But I'm not surprised. It's a tough business.'
'Yeah. He was on Flight 103 when it went down.'
Coleman chewed that over.
'No ****,' he said.
That probably explained everything.
And when she went on to say that at least two intelligence agents had also died with Nazzie Jafaar, having switched to Flight 103 through RA Travel Masters of Nicosia, the DEA's travel agents on Cyprus, he knew without a doubt that his life was in danger.

[And as an aside, if this is all so dynamite and the book was suppressed, I'm not entirely sure why it's now public domain, free to reproduce, with no interference that I can see.]

That's still early enough to have been making TV programmes about the matter the same year. However, why nothing about any "Kenyan Three" in Trail of the Octopus then? Is it possible the wiki statement is just disinfo from someone? As far as I remember, Coleman thinks it was the Palestinians, just like the rest of us, and his main point of difference is simply that he believes Jafaar's bag was switched at Frankfurt (a la Aviv) rather than the bomb being loaded at Heathrow as the Bedford suitcase.

Odd.

Coleman is a lot of the reason I don't believe Mama Jafaar or the other people who declare that Khalid was just a very lucky 20-year-old who got to fly to the Lebanon a lot, to visit his old grandparents or something. Or the people who declare that the farmer who reported finding the suitcase containing heroin was just mistaken, and had agreed that during a surprisingly confidential police interview.

Rolfe.

 

[Ambrosia]

Yes, but going on from your quote,

It wasn't till April 1989 that Sheila Hershow contacted him about Jafaar, and he immediately realised that a DEA drug courier had been on the plane.

You're probably right, it's been a while since read the whole thing and I was likely mis-remembering.

[And as an aside, if this is all so dynamite and the book was suppressed, I'm not entirely sure why it's now public domain, free to reproduce, with no interference that I can see.]

Way back in ye dimme and distante past ... linky

The meat of which is:

The publication of Coleman's book "Trail of the Octopus" was halted by U.S. federal courts because of DIA claims of libel. ... While attempting to clear his book for publication, Coleman submitted an affidavit that a bag of heroin, bound for a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) drug sting, was switched for a bag of explosives on Pan Am 103. A federal judge declared it false and ordered Coleman arrested for perjury. He was released several months later and fled to Sweden where he was granted political asylum. Coleman was later subpoenaed to testify at the Lockerbie trial, but was prevented since he had been found guilty of perjury as part of the court proceedings to block the publication of his book. He was later cleared of perjury by a court of appeal. The judges issued a sealed ruling, which meant that Coleman and his lawyers couldn't read why his conviction was overturned.

Since publication was blocked in the USA, Coleman declared his book public domain ...

Interestingly from that (assuming of course that it is accurate) we learn that Coleman was found guilty of perjury because of his book, in a sealed ruling he was cleared of this charge, but in the time that had elapsed for that to work through the system, he was prevented from testifying at the Zeist trial entirely.

It strikes me that since his book was released to all and sundry as public domain, that the US could not put the cat back into the bag, so went about discrediting him entirely, eventually he was incarcerated for the passport charge. As far as I know he is still presently behind bars.

However, why nothing about any "Kenyan Three" in Trail of the Octopus then?

I wonder the same thing, and would love to watch the program from which wiki claims the "kenyan Three" is sourced.

As far as I remember, Coleman thinks it was the Palestinians, just like the rest of us, and his main point of difference is simply that he believes Jafaar's bag was switched at Frankfurt (a la Aviv) rather than the bomb being loaded at Heathrow as the Bedford suitcase.

Thats how I remember Colemans take on things as well.

 

[Buncrana]

I've often wondered about this coincidental break-in at Heathrow, around the Pan Am gate no less in the early hours of 21st December, the spotting of the suitcases by Bedford, the cover-up going on at Frankfurt to conceal something that was obviously going on over there. Is there any connection between these three apparently unconnected events, and Mr Taheri's note book containing an address of a PLFP safehouse? Coincidentally, again.

Nevertheless, as I'm quite confident that the bomb was ingested at Heathrow, Mr Taheri's journey on 103A, and that aircraft's quick transfer of baggage onto Clipper Maid of the Seas, would imply if he had managed to take the device onto the Frankfurt leg of the flight, there still remains a large element fortune in hoping the bag (Taheri is asked about luggage but we don't seem to have a concise answer) would be placed in the hold where it would have to be in order to exact the damage required to a Jumbo Jet.

Although I do wonder about the possibility that the elements of the bomb and suitcase arriving separately at Heathrow. At the moment it's nothing more than speculation, but it has been niggling me for some time. Is it possible the bomb and radio cassette arrived at Heathrow via the break-in, and the suitcase and clothing arrived later in the day by some other method - perhaps from completely unconnected flight arriving at Heathrow? If there is a connection between the break-in and the bombing, would this perhaps explain the unusual period of time between the two events, and the apparent near miss by all those who boarded Pan Am 101 to Washington a few hours before 103?

Would it make sense for the radio cassette bomb, and the suitcase (containing otherwise innocent garments) would arrive by different methods and then be put together at Heathrow, before being dropped off at the Interline shed manned by Kamboj, and then spotted by Bedford? Certainly, the break-in avoids the usual risks of detection by security, baggage handlers or x-ray, if you're looking solely at a bomb or it's components, although in order for it to pass the final required check in order to be inserted into 4041, at the interline shed, then some concealment is still required, hence the suitcase, radio and innocent looking clothing.

It's the extremely tight schedule between the arriving flight from Frankfurt, and the departure of 103, that makes me think highly unlikely that there would there be any possibility of either altering the baggage from the Frankfurt flight, or the risk that a bag from Frankfurt, if containing the device, would be placed exactly where desired on 103? Of course, if it were even shown that the bomb was actually considerably more powerful than was originally concluded, then all the assumptions of the bag needing to be pretty precisely positioned, are all out the window, and indeed I would find Frankfurt ingestion theory far more plausible, although on balance still favouring a Heathrow introduction.

 

[Caustic Logic]

For reference, I brought up Mr. Taheri in the other thread. Weird case.He's in that class with Abu Talb that had the defense considering him in their specialdefense of incrimination. It didn't seem to go anywhere other than "isn't that odd?"

What do you think of the idea that he was part of a decoy operation, perhaps incorporating the Helsinki warning? By distracting from Heathrow and to Frankfurt, it would support London intro, wouldn't it?

 

[Buncrana]

For reference, I brought up Mr. Taheri in the other thread. Weird case.He's in that class with Abu Talb that had the defense considering him in their specialdefense of incrimination. It didn't seem to go anywhere other than "isn't that odd?"

What do you think of the idea that he was part of a decoy operation, perhaps incorporating the Helsinki warning? By distracting from Heathrow and to Frankfurt, it would support London intro, wouldn't it?

Hmm..it would seem slightly odd that on his return from Heathrow was when he was initially questioned and the address in his notebook was one of the houses raided in the Autumn Leaves operation. To me, this would immediately alert me towards Heathrow, rather than away from it. Although, as his journey started at Frankfurt, it would also draw attention there. However, we don't seem to know if his luggage was simply hand luggage or was it a suitcase and loaded into the hull?

Plane explodes after leaving Heathrow, and Iranian man who flew from Frankfurt on main feeder to downed flight then returns from Heathrow 4 days later with known bomb makers address in pocket?.. That's more than just a bit strange.

Q Did you learn that one such passenger was called Parviz Taheri?
A Yes.

Q Did you also come to learn that he was due to return to Frankfurt from London on the 25th of December of 1988?
A Yes.

Q Did you go to meet him on his return at Frankfurt Airport?
A I knew which flight he was arriving on, and I met him at the airport.

Going to meet him at the airport? This sounds rather curious indeed.

Did the German investigators use this kind of method as standard in interviewing people who were originally on 103A and who returned to Frankfurt after the bombing? Obviously, I'd expect the passengers on 103A who had travelled to Heathrow and due on a return flight would be interviewed and investigated, but where the Germans already aware of his possible connection to the PLFP cell disrupted in October hence meeting him on his return at the airport, when I would have thought an arrangement or appointment to meet the passenger would be at their local police station at their convenience?

 

[Buncrana]

Actually reading that testimony from Fuhl simply stretches the incredulity beyond breaking point if you consider that here we have a German investigator aware of a certain passenger arriving back from Heathrow and waiting at Frankfurt airport on Christmas Day to question him no less. No hanging about there by the Germans.

But no one had thought to secure Frankfurts baggage and loading records relating to just four days previous?

Honestly, do they think we have 'MUG' written across our foreheads?

 

[Rolfe]

Came up the Clyde on a banana boat, did we?

It's dawning on me just how much there is in these transcripts that hasn't made it out. Having a readable, searchable copy is just amazing. It's still 3,139 single-spaced A4 pages in the version I've made, which isn't exactly a light bed-time read, but it's possible to get through it. And look at what I found out about the KM180 passengers just in one morning!

Do you want pdfs, WordPerfect or MS Word? (Couldn't vouch for quality of that last, because I avoid that one like the plague, but I do have a "save in .doc format" option.) Do you want seven files of about 450 pages each, or one humungous file of all 86 days for one-click searching?

My pleasure.

Rolfe.

 

[Buncrana]

Came up the Clyde on a banana boat, did we?

It's dawning on me just how much there is in these transcripts that hasn't made it out. Having a readable, searchable copy is just amazing. It's still 3,139 single-spaced A4 pages in the version I've made, which isn't exactly a light bed-time read, but it's possible to get through it. And look at what I found out about the KM180 passengers just in one morning!

Do you want pdfs, WordPerfect or MS Word? (Couldn't vouch for quality of that last, because I avoid that one like the plague, but I do have a "save in .doc format" option.) Do you want seven files of about 450 pages each, or one humungous file of all 86 days for one-click searching?

My pleasure.

Rolfe.

You're an absolute star! Whichever is most suitable to you Rolfe, but I'd happily receive one humungous file in PDF format.

I was having a hunt for a few hours earlier for some of the Malta passengers questioning at Zeist in the other pdf I have, but couldn't find anything. Until I realised the days I was searching didn't cover these testimony's!!

 

[Rolfe]

I realised today that the humungous file isn't as bad as I thought. If you perform a search on it, it seems slow, but it's because Acrobat is indexing the document. Once you've done one, the rest go very fast. I'm a fan!

Rolfe.

 

[Caustic Logic]

I've been meaning to update a blog post, or one of these two, I worked up about the time delays in Khreesat-style bombs.

http://lockerbiedivide.blogspot.com/2010/03/thirty-eight-minutes.html - "35-45" minutes, German analysis, earlier post with a few less-informed spots
http://lockerbiedivide.blogspot.com/2010/05/1980s-boom-boxes-and-ice-cubes.html - technical details on the bombs, from Khreesat and German sources - the radios used, altimeters, timers. Later post, nothing wrong I know of.

The info in there is relevant to questions emerging at the "Did Abdelbaset ..." thread. It's an old conundrum: why on Earth would Megrahi or anyone with half a brain set the timer for 7:03, just 38 minutes after takeoff, while nearly all normal departure routes would have the plane over land for nearly an hour? Everyone admits burial at sea would be wiser, and most presume that's what they were trying for. But they had the gigantic picture window of opportunity of the Atlantic, where any one of about six tops of the hour would suffice. Yet they chose to ignore the middle of the window, aim for just over the windowsill, and then miss?

Sure, it's possible, and a counter-argument to Libyan blame, this one is circumstantial.

But of course there's more to it than that. If the alternate villains, the PFLP-GC working for Iran, had done the bombing, it would most likely be with the fifth device described by double-agent bomb maker Marwan Khreesat. His work is said to fit "perfectly" with the takeoff time, if it were first loaded, or primed, at London. It's widely said these were all set to explode 35-45 minutes after takeoff.

But it is a little more complex than that.

These bombs have been described previously - an altimeter that at some pressure level will trigger a capacitor ice-cube "timer." The size of the metal coil inside it determines how long it builds up a charge before discharging and causing the detonation. So both altimeter setting and the timer size determine just how long after takeoff it will blow. From Khreeesat's interview with the FBI, Nov 1989:

One of the timers was a half-hour timer, one was for three-quarters of an hour, and one was for one hour. Khreesat does not recall what time the fourth timer was set for. None of the timers were for more than one hour.

PDF download page

Khreesat himself built four devices, all live despire orders. He explains this as from the fear that "Abu Elias" would spot his duds and ... something bad. I could buy that. Khreesat also described the fifth device, similar to his own but sloppier. It had an altimeter in it, and needed only two wires soldered. Khreesat did this, and then it disappeared again with Dalkamouni, presumably handed back to its apparent maker, Abu Elias. This agent, a nephew of Ahmed Jibril, had studied Khreesat's handiwork in 1987. We don't know what kind of timer it had in it, so it may or may not fit in with his neat 15-minute intervals up to 60 minutes.

It's also possible that on any point above, either Khreesat or Marshman has fudged the truth, so a grain of salt may be needed.

The first post suggested the trigger alt was reached only two minutes into the flight, making it a 35 or 36-minute ice cube timer. But that altitude of 2400 feet is not certain (something Leppard reported) and the altimeter on the mysterious fifth device might be set for higher, triggered after 8 minutes not 2, and was then a 30-minute Fatah factory timer running at full length (not tested for at least 24 hours prior).

Khreesat advised that the times are not exact and the time changes depending upon how long the timers have been tested after last being used. They usually reset to zero after a day. He used to test the timers three times in a row before installing the timer in a device. He found that in each test the time decreased. When this happened, he put the timers aside, and the next day when he tested them, they would run for the same time as when he had first started them.
[Marshman report, p 32 ]

So there is some uncertainty and wiggle room here to suggest a Khreesat-style bomb wouldn't work, but also plenty to suggest it would or did fit. Considered next to the conumdrum about alleged Libyan timing, I think it compares favorably. That doesn't prove anything in itself, but it is a worthy point to take note of.

 

[Rolfe]

The time window certainly seems possible to me. A few other points to consider.

Would the PFLP-GC have cared much whether the detonation was over land or sea? As regards the alleged Libyan plot, the objections were first that with no altimeter involved the plane might still have been on the tarmac at that point if it had missed its slot, and second that the clothes were traceable to a conspicuous purchase in a shop only three miles from the completely concealed introduction - by Megrahi himself no less. So scattering evidence all over the countryside was pretty stupid. And that anyone with an MST-13 would almost on reflex aim for the middle, or left of the middle.

From the point of view of the PFLP-GC, the altimeter device wasn't gong to explode on the tarmac even if they'd waited for Basuta and missed their slot. So that didn't matter. And as far as the clothes go, well, quite a neat trick really. Bought a thousand miles away from the point of introduction, and on an island with a lot of weird going on that might lead the investigation who the hell knows where - even to Libya, the US's favourite bogey-man.

So really, would they care where the crash happened to the point where they tried for the longest possible timer setting and a possible ocean ditching if they were lucky with the route, or would they just think, airborne at cruising altitude, good enough?

Rolfe.

 

[Buncrana]

Thanks for that Marshman file CL! I had certainly never read, in that detail, the conversation or interview conducted with Khreesat before.

And just quickly for reference, since while we're on this subject, here's a (poor quality) photo I had kicking about on an old floppy from years ago of one of the Khreesat devices confiscated during Autumn Leaves -

 

[Caustic Logic]

Thanks, dude. That's a better pic than any I had yet of that radio. That's the BomBeat 453 seized. I don't see the modifications in there, at least the shapes I'm looking for - barometer/altimeter and ice cube timer. I guess it was gutted before the photo?

 

[Buncrana]

Zeist Transcripts p2567[/B]]

[...] Again, Mr. Talb, this will not mean much to you, but it's important for us. This is a certificate of authentication by one Miltiades, Michael, who works for Cyprus Airways at Larnaca, and he hands over a document and authenticates that as -- those documents, rather, as true
copies of the originals which were in the possession and control of Cyprus Airways. And it's dated the 1st of November of 1999.

And if we could look also at CRT2, please. There we can see Miltiades, Michael, the same man, certifies that these are business documents and
included in the business [8306] documents is the manifest that I've referred to. And that is also dated the 1st of November of 1999.

Now, just so that you know, Mr. Talb, that little exercise is simply to demonstrate that these are documents that speak for themselves, without the need of witnesses.

Now, can we now go to CY 1364, please. Let's go to image 2, please.

We can see in the top left-hand corner, this is CY 1354, is it, or 64. And if we scroll down, we can see that this is a flight from Cyprus to London Heathrow. And I want to find passengers 211 to 214, which I think we'll find on image 5. We see that 211 through to 214 were passengers called Mougrabi. Do you see that?

A Yes, I can see that.

Q And they flew from Cyprus to London Heathrow on the 21st of December of 1988.

Can we also look at passenger number 208. You can see it's conveniently underlined. He is described as Mr. D. O'Connor, also flying to London Heathrow. Do you see that?

A Yes.

Q And Your Lordships know that he died on board Pan Am 103. [8307]

You can close that image.

Do you know why it was that members of your wife's family flew from Cyprus to Heathrow on [2568] the 21st of December of 1988?

A I don't know whether they flew at the time. And this is not correct anyway.

Q All right.

I think this small but possibly crucial passage speaks for itself. Nevertheless, let me expand.

Mougrabi, brother-in-law of Talb, who had visited Abassi in Neuss in October 1988, just prior to the sweeping arrests made under the Autumn Leaves operation. Mougrabi is also sentenced along with Talb by the Swedish authroities in 1989 for unrelated terror attacks in Denmark in 1985/86. The supposed coincidences in this case are almost beyond ridiculous, but Mougrabi boards the same flight from Cyprus to Heathrow as US Special Agent Daniel O Connor on December 21st 1988.

Nothing unduly notable about this coincidence perhaps, until presented with the knowledge that Daniel O Connor's luggage wasn't actually loaded onto Maid of the Seas that evening and is discovered still in the baggage shed at Heathrow after 103's bombing, and we know John Bedford noted two extraneous suitcases appearing in AVE4041 a couple of hours before 103 left for JFK.

 

[Rolfe]

My head hurts too.

Rolfe.

 

[Buncrana]

Well, we're in Conspiracy Theories section, so we can run riot here with speculation can't we?!

Talb's testimony at Zeist is utterly compelling reading. But, I'd dearly love to have some other confirmation about O'Connor's bag being left behind at Heathrow. As far as I know, it's mentioned in a few articles or webpages, but these all appear ro be sourced from either De Braeckeleer or Baz's website. Anyway, bear with me..

Mougrabi, using Talb's old Samsonite suitcase(s), packed with clothing samples given to Talb and purchases from Mary's Shop in Oct/Nov 88, leaves Cyprus on the morning of 21st December seated beside 3 PLFP associates and someway behind US agent O'Connor, headed to Heathrow. Earlier, the break-in at Heathrow has facilitated the smuggling of a Toshiba Radio, perhaps armed or readied to be, to a PLFP sympathiser or asset working within Heathrow airport.

It is to be stored somewhere secure for a few hours, which given Heathrow were not yet aware of the warnings received at Frankfurt or radios uncovered at Neuss, and consider the popularity of these makes of radio in the 80's, then perhaps it wouldn't arouse any suspicions anyway. Would airport/baggage workers be regulary seen with radio players brought in to listen to whilst working? Would the building works at Terminal 3 see workers in that capicity with blaring radios while working?

With the woeful security and lax procedures evident at Heathrow, would anyone have raised an eyebrow at a baggage worker with a radio? Maybe, maybe not in 1988..

Mougrabi and his completely innocent suitcase(s) of assorted clothing, arrive at Heathrow, along with O'Connor and his luggage. O'Connors cases are assigned to 103, and possibly marked as US property. Meanwhile Mougrabi exits Heathrow having left his suitcase(s) uncollected.

The same PFLP sympathiser (perhaps even another!) then collects Mougrabi's cases as they sit unclaimed, and the baggage worker being familiar with Heathrow and it's standard procedures (as well as it's failings) secures Mougrabi's suitcase(s) in a known quiet or currently unused area/unit/cabin at Heathrow. If this PFLP assocoiate could also retrieve O Connor's cases, then that would enable the crucial transfer of Tag's for re-insertion into the baggage system later and destined for 103 and JFK.

The radio is placed inside Mougrabi's suitcase, and leaving O'Connor's suitcases behind, the Heathrow baggage worker heads towards the build-up shed and passes the suitcases to Kamboj to screen and then insert into AVE4041, or indeed if he had previously chatted or got to know Kamboj, allows him to put the cases straight into 4041 as he so wishes.....

Okay, at the moment it's nothing more substantive than someone putting a device on the outside of the container, but I thought it worth jotting down here while I've been going through some of the transcripts. Maybe? Maybe not.

 

[Caustic Logic]

Abu Talb's wife flew to London 21 December? Huh, now that is odd.

As you may know I'm not a big fan of the argument that he was the bomber or involved. It seems to me the main role he played, whetehr scripted or not, was being the link to Malta. The one branch of the tree they'd started out looking at that also reached into Malta. And that's where Megrahi would (coincidentally?) be found looking suspicious on zero day. By my existing hunch that he served as a segue, and was named once by an investigation I suspect did NOT want to name any true culprits. At its most innocent, I suspect the Talb sideline is just something investigators toyed with while still thinking Palestinians but looking on Malta.

There are a few things that do suggest a possible connection to the relevant plotters, but Tony's supposed ID isn't one of them. I doubt the Mary's House clothes are linked to him (unless by a third party), and the calendar with 21 Dec circled.

[I explain some of my reasoning in the two posts linked here. ]

Unless we had something else that's my best guess, but this new thing might be enough. It alone is a better link to the actual scene of the crime than Megrahi had...

What exactly it means, or could mean, I don't know. I'll read your posts more carefully and give it some thought.

On Dan O'Connor, I think I looked this up once before and Baz was wrong on it being two bags, and even mixes singular and plural ("bags was" or something). But his bag was left behind say my two books.

cite Emerson and Duffy, p 71-72
one bag left back, Dan O'Connor

and Leppard (trail...) p 117 - brown American Tourister, his sole and only bag, left at Heathrow.

 

[Rolfe]

Not being actual investigators, we can't get the information I'd think was important. How much globe-trotting did the various suspect Palestinians actually do? That would illuminate how significant these journeys were.

It's like Megrahi at Luqa. Seems like a coincidence. But in that case, we just have to ask, what were the chances of there being a frameable JSO officer in the airport no matter when the connecting bomb flight was supposed to leave? My feeling is, quite high. In particular, given that LN147 left at about the same time as KM180, it seems likely that any day of the week, there might have been a suitable candidate boarding that flight. And because of the departure times, anyone boarding that flight was going to be in the frame.

Same with the Palestinians. If they were flying around all the time, then it might be no real surprise that some of them were in the air that day. But to be honest, I think this is less likely. It does seem as if it's likely to be significant.

I can't help feeling that there's some sort of huge monster in the middle of this case, something we're not seeing directly, but we're seeing the shape of it by the way it bends the visible evidence out of shape.

So many things. The release of the Autumn Leaves suspects. The immediate appearance of the US security forces in Scotland within such a short time of the crash. What they were doing there. The vanishing Frankfurt records. Khaled Jafaar. The CIA passengers (remember, Lester Coleman thought McKee had been deliberately booked on a doomed flight). O'Connor's suitcase. The persistent turning away from the PFLP-GC. And more.

I have a horrible feeling that as soon as that plane went down, a number of people quite high up in the US security forces said, "oh ****," knew exactly what had gone horribly wrong, and jumped immediately into CYA mode. I just can't quite see what shape the monster is.

Rolfe.

 

[Bunntamas]

Love the new Avatar, Rolfe. Très Apropos.

 

[Rolfe]

Basement Rolfe. Halloween-ised avatar courtesy of another forum member, last year.

Wait till you see Santa Rolfe!

Rolfe.