Jim Swire on Lockerbie bombing: ‘So much information negates the official version’

What primarily distressed Jim Swire while watching Lockerbie: a Search for Truth wasn’t the realistic depiction of the explosion that took his daughter Flora’s life. Instead, it was the actress Catherine McCormack portraying his wife Jane, who slowly counted down from 15 to zero that moved him most.

It’s a quiet yet heart-wrenching scene on screen where she expresses her troubling suspicion that Flora may have been aware just before falling to the ground.

In the given scene, Catherine remarks, “If you’re ejected from an airplane at 31,000 feet, you will regain consciousness for approximately 15 seconds.” Swire continues, and this statement serves as a stark reminder to Jane and me about the grim reality of the series: it’s centered around a horrific mass murder.

23-year-old medical student Flora Swire embarked on Pan Am Flight 103 from Heathrow Airport towards New York’s JFK Airport on December 21, 1988. The flight was operated by a Boeing 747. Accompanying her to the airport was her younger sister Cathy, who was 21 years old at the time. Flora was en route to celebrate Christmas with her boyfriend and would have turned 24 the following day.

Around 7 pm, an airplane met with disaster over the town of Lockerbie, located in southwestern Scotland. Tragically, everyone aboard the aircraft – a total of 259 passengers and crew members – perished. Additionally, 11 residents of Lockerbie were killed when the flaming debris fell onto streets and buildings below.

In Sky’s five-part drama titled “The Lockerbie Bombing: a Father’s Search for Justice,” moments that truly shock arise when sections of the plane disintegrate, beginning with scattered metal debris and escalating into massive chunks of the aircraft plummeting from the sky. Remarkably, a young boy lives on due to an outing for a bike ride; however, his home is tragically obliterated.

On that fateful night when Lockerbie was in flames, Swire found himself at home in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, with his wife Jane and their son William. He vividly recalls that night as an unimaginable catastrophe. As the news unfolded, he spent countless hours on the phone to New York, only to have a Pan Am employee confirm the tragic loss of Flora. “The pain never fades,” Swire shares. “Grief is a lifelong journey, regardless of what you try to do.

Colin Firth isn’t an exact replica of the lean-bodied Swire, but his portrayal captures the spirit of the Eton-educated doctor whose faith in the establishment he hails from is slowly shattered. “Colin Firth visited us,” mentions Swire. “We found him quite endearing. He wasn’t arrogant at all, just an ordinary guy. In later interviews, he mentioned how unique that experience was for him. I was glad to hear him say that.

Initially, Scottish authorities suspected that the bombing was retaliation for the US Navy’s accidental downing of Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988, which claimed 290 lives. It was speculated that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP-GC) had placed the bomb on a connecting flight at Frankfurt airport, allegedly at the behest of the Iranians.

However, this particular investigative path was abandoned. Instead, it was American and British legal authorities who focused on Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, residing in Malta at the time of the explosion (as they claimed was the location where the bomb was manufactured), as the prime suspect.

Back in May 2000, al-Megrahi and his suspected associate, Lamin Khalifah, stood trial at a court specifically established for this case at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands. This unique court setting was arranged through negotiations between British and Libyan government officials.

The evidence presented appeared strong. Tony Gauci, a shopkeeper from Malta, recognized Al-Megrahi as a customer who purchased articles similar to those discovered at the crash site. An FBI specialist identified a piece of circuit board debris as belonging to a batch distributed to the Libyan intelligence agency by a company co-located with the Swiss office building frequented by al-Megrahi during his visits.

As the trial unfolded, Swire found himself seated close to al-Megrahi’s family. Initially, some relatives of the victims questioned him, “How can you endure being so close to those accused?” There was a strong assumption of guilt present among them. However, for Swire and others, the evidence seemed inconclusive; Gauci’s account shifted, and the authenticity of the circuit-board fragment was questionable. Despite this, al-Megrahi was ultimately convicted and given a life sentence.

Believing in al-Megrahi’s innocence, Swire went to visit him at Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison. As depicted in the drama, Swire motivated al-Megrahi to launch appeals that would eventually lead to his release and provide evidence to contradict the official account.

In 2009, al-Megrahi, who had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, chose to abandon his most recent appeal as part of the discussions that led to him being released on the basis of compassion. This was a disappointment for Swire, but one he is willing to overlook. “I have no issues with forgiving al-Megrahi for dropping his appeal,” he stated. “He was aware he was dying.

As a movie reviewer reflecting on the documentary “Swire’s Journey,” I found myself deeply moved by the emotional turmoil that unfolded as Swire paid a visit to the dying al-Megrahi in Libya, a man many Americans believe was guilty in the Pan Am bombing. However, this visit sparked not only outrage among American families but also within Swire’s own family, who expressed their discontent with his relentless campaigning in 2024, as revealed by Swire’s daughter, Cathy Swire herself. This complex web of emotions and loyalties is what makes this film a gripping exploration of the human condition.

Is there a self-centered aspect to my pursuit of this campaign, considering it may have unintentionally caused harm to someone in my family? I cannot help but express remorse for the unfortunate reality that my 36-year-long, relentless quest for truth has led to such an outcome. This is one of the challenges I face, as it often divides people.

He continues to believe that Colonel Gaddafi’s involvement in the incident (which he had previously encountered in the desert) and Libya were part of a covert operation, intended to divert attention away from the United States, allowing them to maintain peaceful relations with Iran during the negotiations for the release of hostages in Lebanon who were being held by Hezbollah, a group supportive of Iran.

However, he doesn’t appear to be any closer to persuading the global community that Iran was responsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Interestingly, this year, Abu Agila Masud from Libya will stand trial in the U.S., accused of constructing the bomb. Does Swire believe this trial could aid his campaign? Perhaps, it may trigger a review into how the incident has been managed within Britain, and such an investigation might yield findings like, ‘This was a disastrous situation. It seems Iran was indeed responsible.’

In this nation, following such actions, the changes suggested by the investigation are often not implemented. This leaves me questioning the way our country handles situations like these. Consequently, I’m considering if it would be wise to seek guidance from an external source, perhaps the International Criminal Court, as there is a substantial amount of evidence contradicting the official narrative.

Leaving you now, I can’t help but wonder if the persistent search for the truth about Flora’s death has ever brought comfort amidst your sorrow. “You see, I’ve always believed that my way of dealing with what transpired that fateful night was to seek out the real facts. I believe she would have wanted me to do this, but not at the expense of becoming biased or distorting truth for a theory. She valued honesty and truthfulness. If she were still alive, I could have told her, ‘I did my best.’

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW.

2025-01-07 04:40

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