It's a thought. Definitely. However, I think the bits of Samsonite they showed to the court were about all they had. Not much, and it would be hard to prove that you had the same bit twice.
I was misled by the question about "could it have been blue with a red trim", or whatever it was Bedford was asked in court. I'm now realising that was just something the advocate made up on the spot. I thought in fact there was a serious suggestion there was a blue suitcase with red trim there. However, it seems to have been one of these ploys simply to point out that the witness isn't sure.
And I didn't get that you didn't get that. I didn't realize it might have been a specific case, which maybe it was. Hmmm... But more likely just "you don't remember, do you?" Blue is almost the opposite of reddish, a bright color is different from brown, trim is the opposite of main color, sorta. And if you look, he did remember up until that point - at the beginning he does, and the end no more - it might've been "any colour you like," sir, to paraphrase Pink Floyd.
"Q Can you recall whether on 21st December, 1988 any of the luggage that you dealt with or saw at the interline shed destined for Pan Am 103 was a bronze Samsonite case?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you see a bronze Samsonite case?
A A maroony-brown Samsonite case, yes. [specific enough to correct a slightly wrong question]
...
Q Now, I wonder if I could get in a bit more detail of the colour. What is your recollection about the colour of the case lying in that position?
A I think it was a brown or maroony colour, hard-backed suitcase.
...
Q But as far as colour is concerned, can you be any more precise than you have been in your evidence?
A No, sir, I am sorry. [he's being as specific as he can be with his memory]
...
Q And as far as the colour of that particular case is concerned, have you always expressed the same view as to what the colour was?
A To my knowledge, I have.
Q Isn't it fair to say that on different occasions you thought it was brown or maroon, and at one point you were quite certain it was maroon?
A Yes.
Q Again this is no criticism of you, but I am anxious to know what the state of your evidence is about colour. In view of the different expressions of view over the period, are you able to be clear at all as to what the colour of that case was?
A No.
Q With regard to the suitcase that you saw lying down flat to the left side of the container, I would like you to think back as best you can. Could that suitcase have been a blue suitcase with a maroon or brown trim?
A I couldn't say.
Q You don't know whether it was or not?
A No, sir.
Q But it could have been?
A It could have been.
I know I imagine things into the evidence sometimes, but I can't help but read that as Bedford's memory being broken. Thereafter and up to 2000 he could not remember the color. At the beginning of the exchange he did.
You say you think this box was green. - Yes. - Could it have been yellow? - Well I suppose so.
Doesn't mean anybody said it was yellow, just a way to show that the witness isn't sure. And since this questioning was all 11 years after the fact, of course Bedford wasn't sure. Which is why I'm inclined to place most weight on what he said in 1989, which seems to be that both cases were of a brown Samsonite type.
Indeed, the non-broken initial memory is best. And to be clear, that questioning was at the Fatal Accident Inquiry in 1990, so the memory was only about 2 years old at the time. What luck that it broke right there so they could dismiss the bag as too confused on color to be helpful. The Zeist Judges did accept his story without badgering it like that, but then dismissed its relevance based, as we've seen, on "could haves."
But the main point you make, which I'll need to consider:
The thing is, if both cases had bombs, and if the right-hand case was moved on top of the left-hand case, that still leaves a bomb bag on the floor of the container, and you have said you believe the evidence that suggests that wasn't the case.
Both bags being bombs. But still, I thought there was only 450g Semtex overall? Worth thinking about though.
Rolfe.
Well, they were looking for signs of proper detontation, and there would only be one in this case. Clearly if they're right, a damaged suitcase was pushed through the floor. Its case would be penetrated and at least some contents in contact would tear up, burn, melt, etc. If one material was another pat of Semtex, it might ignite but only from one side rather than the optimlal inside-to-out detonation. I wish I could ever see photos of the bag they recovered. I suppose the transcripts mention the sizes and conditions anyway...
But if there was even an ingition directly beneath that, just 4 iches and the bottom side of a suicase away from the aluminum, it does though seem the floor would get more exposure to chemical pitting, etc than we see. And there comes in a possible Frankensteining of the floor - if the center was so high up and even the floor was pitted, that would mean two bomb bags, one detonating and one igniting, and require a large clean chunk from elsewhere be stitched in to hide the fact. Consider what was shown, lower left, the straight edge chunk labeled No. 9 looks like would have been right under the lefy-hand Kamboj bag. That chunk doesn't feel totally right to me:
(note - the center of damage along the left side here is a bit further in (app 20") than I'd suspect for the Bedford bags, but if they'd been turned 90 degrees, and the container titled somewhere so all bags slid forward, that could explain it.)
Two bombs is unusual, a little elaborate and not necessary for anything and I'm not married to it. But as you say, worth a thought. Maybe the bottom case was a non-bomb bag partner, or sheer coincidental in its similarity and time of introduction to the bomb bag. But the fact is we're thinking one Bedford bag in that corner was the bomb, but the other one didn't turn up damaged, so that's my attempt to explain that - one was vaped, the other damaged bad enough it could look like the bomb.
And on the force, there was 250-300-450-680 grams depending on your source.
The Indian Head tests concluded that high range was the best fit (454-680 grams). Most other official sources just don't say. And that could be one bomb detonation or a bit more, but probably not two full explosions.