The Truth about Lockerbie - MartinFrost.ws

The Truth about Lockerbie - MartinFrost.ws The Truth about Lockerbie - MartinFrost.ws

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A tale of three atrocities disgraceful that the CIA treated these people this way. The CIA chose Helsinki to minimise the public visibility of the warning, because Finland is neutral territory and not usually the target of terrorist attacks. The Helsinki warning was never properly publicised beyond US government personnel, as demonstrated by the 48 students who obliviously bought cheap tickets on Pan Am flights. lThe blame If the Iranians were to be blameless of the attack, the CIA had to put another organisation in the frame. At the time, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP GC) were an obvious scapegoat. On 26 th October 1988, the German police had arrested 16 PFLP GC members on suspicion of terrorist activities. They found a bomb concealed in a Toshiba cassette recorder in the car of Hafiz Dalkamoni, one of the leader of PFLP GC's cells. The story of the PFLP GC arrests is too complicated to discuss here. But the important point is that PFLP GC members were found in possession of bombs near Frankfurt. Between 2 nd November and 19 th December, three official warnings were issued about bombs hidden in Toshiba cassette recorders. I believe the Toshiba warnings were, like the Helsinki warning, a CIA plant. They were designed to associate the forthcoming terrorist attack with a PFLP GC style of operation, because the PFLP GC members arrested in Germany had converted a Toshiba Bombeat cassette recorder to hold a bomb. lDeadly cargo to London The bomb had to travel to London without being detected. It struck me that the two easiest ways were carrying the bomb in an official diplomatic bag, which would not be searched upon entering another country, or transporting it in parts, which could be assembled in the Iranian Embassy or elsewhere. In 1988, the technology for scanning baggage was not as advanced as today. Bomb components could be brought in on separate flights or concealed in electronic equipment. The bomb may have been built in Iran and shipped to Britain. But given the CIA's Iranian office was located in Frankfurt, it is possible that the bomb began its short life there. Qesas makes no demand that a revenging party should use their own weapon. lThe Heathrow break-in During Megrahi's first appeal in 2001, a new fact emerged. There had been a break-in at Heathrow on 20 th December 1988, which was discovered by a BAA security guard, Mr Manly. He recorded it in an incident book, which was produced at the appeal. He said it was the worst security breach he had encountered in his 17-year career with BAA 19 . A padlock had been broken on a door in the security barrier between the airside and landside areas in terminal 3, Heathrow. This door was 20 minutes walk from the Interline shed containing the baggage containers that would be loaded onto Pan Am Flight 103 later that day. Although the appeal found that Heathrow staff often took short cuts by breaking out through the security door, this time the lock had 19 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/lockerbie-heathrow-breakin-revealed-668981.html 11 September 2001. 14

een cut "like butter" by someone breaking in. 20 A tale of three atrocities Shortly after 23:05 on 20 th December 1988, I believe an Iranian broke through a door in Heathrow Terminal 3 that separated the landside and airside parts of the terminal. Thinking logically about it, he must have been disguised as a minor airport functionary, maintenance man or airline worker so he would not be stopped as he walked through the airport complex to the Interline building. Once there, he would have to identify the baggage containers due to be loaded onto Flight 103. This would be relatively easy because, according to a former baggage handler, baggage containers are arranged in the order they will be loaded onto outgoing flights. The baggage container the CIA must have told the Iranian to look for was AVE4041 PA, which would be loaded at position 14L 21 and contained first class and Frankfurt transfer luggage. Once he reached the baggage container, he might have needed to fine tune the bomb timer. Pan Am flights to New York had several possible flight paths, depending on weather conditions, so the Iranian would have checked the weather forecast and adjusted the time of the explosion accordingly. The bomb must have been disguised as though it was a repair patch for a baggage container (see figure of Air France patches). The bomb was stuck to the wall near the bottom of AVE4041 PA at around 11:30pm on 20 th December 1988. Let us imagine that Mr Manly the security guard patrolled the security barrier every hour and took an hour to finish his patrol. He discovered the break-in at approximately 00:05 on 21 st December 1988, meaning there was more than enough time for someone to break-in, place a device in the Interline shed, and leave again, between 23:05 and the break-in being discovered. It seems an amazing coincidence that such a serious break-in would occur at Heathrow the day before a terrorist bomb destroyed a plane flying from the airport. After two or three years of thinking it through, I believe this is how the Lockerbie bomb was loaded onto Flight 103. The Zeist appeal decided the break-in and the destruction of the aircraft were too remote (I think they meant in time). But the first trial accepted the timer had run for at least 12 hours, so why the 18 hours implied by the Heathrow break-in was impossible, I can't understand. The official Lockerbie investigation claimed the bomb was concealed in a suitcase. Our Iranian, however, couldn't have brought a suitcase into Heathrow. It would have been too conspicuous. So the bomb must have been around 20 x 20 cm in size and concealed under a heavy, winter coat. Furthermore, according to a former baggage handler I spoke to, if the bomb was in a suitcase it would have been spotted on the morning of 21 st December by Heathrow baggage handlers. If it wasn't revealed to be a bomb and was correctly labelled, it would have been put onto the first flight leaving Heathrow. But Flight 103 was the third Pan Am scheduled flight from Heathrow to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on 21 st December. Once I saw the link between the break-in and the Lockerbie bomb, I was suddenly able to place a speech by Transport Minister Paul Channon in context. He told Lockerbie families the device “may have been among the baggage from the Frankfurt flight”. This gives the impression that the bomb was 20http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/1817752.stm 11 February 2002 21 AAIB report on Lockerbie 15

A tale of three atrocities<br />

disgraceful that the CIA treated these people this way.<br />

<strong>The</strong> CIA chose Helsinki to minimise the public visibility of the warning, because Finland is neutral<br />

territory and not usually the target of terrorist attacks. <strong>The</strong> Helsinki warning was never properly<br />

publicised beyond US government personnel, as demonstrated by the 48 students who obliviously<br />

bought cheap tickets on Pan Am flights.<br />

l<strong>The</strong> blame<br />

If the Iranians were to be blameless of the attack, the CIA had to put another organisation in the frame.<br />

At the time, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Command (PFLP GC) were an<br />

obvious scapegoat. On 26 th October 1988, the German police had arrested 16 PFLP GC members on<br />

suspicion of terrorist activities. <strong>The</strong>y found a bomb concealed in a Toshiba cassette recorder in the car<br />

of Hafiz Dalkamoni, one of the leader of PFLP GC's cells. <strong>The</strong> story of the PFLP GC arrests is too<br />

complicated to discuss here. But the important point is that PFLP GC members were found in<br />

possession of bombs near Frankfurt.<br />

Between 2 nd November and 19 th December, three official warnings were issued <strong>about</strong> bombs hidden in<br />

Toshiba cassette recorders. I believe the Toshiba warnings were, like the Helsinki warning, a CIA plant.<br />

<strong>The</strong>y were designed to associate the forthcoming terrorist attack with a PFLP GC style of operation,<br />

because the PFLP GC members arrested in Germany had converted a Toshiba Bombeat cassette<br />

recorder to hold a bomb.<br />

lDeadly cargo to London<br />

<strong>The</strong> bomb had to travel to London without being detected. It struck me that the two easiest ways were<br />

carrying the bomb in an official diplomatic bag, which would not be searched upon entering another<br />

country, or transporting it in parts, which could be assembled in the Iranian Embassy or elsewhere. In<br />

1988, the technology for scanning baggage was not as advanced as today. Bomb components could<br />

be brought in on separate flights or concealed in electronic equipment.<br />

<strong>The</strong> bomb may have been built in Iran and shipped to Britain. But given the CIA's Iranian office was<br />

located in Frankfurt, it is possible that the bomb began its short life there. Qesas makes no demand<br />

that a revenging party should use their own weapon.<br />

l<strong>The</strong> Heathrow break-in<br />

During Megrahi's first appeal in 2001, a new fact emerged. <strong>The</strong>re had been a break-in at Heathrow on<br />

20 th December 1988, which was discovered by a BAA security guard, Mr Manly. He recorded it in an<br />

incident book, which was produced at the appeal. He said it was the worst security breach he had<br />

encountered in his 17-year career with BAA 19 .<br />

A padlock had been broken on a door in the security barrier between the airside and landside areas in<br />

terminal 3, Heathrow. This door was 20 minutes walk from the Interline shed containing the baggage<br />

containers that would be loaded onto Pan Am Flight 103 later that day. Although the appeal found that<br />

Heathrow staff often took short cuts by breaking out through the security door, this time the lock had<br />

19 http://www.independent.co.uk/ne<strong>ws</strong>/uk/crime/lockerbie-heathrow-breakin-revealed-668981.html 11<br />

September 2001.<br />

14

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