News Wrap: Suspect in 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 appears in U.S. court

Amna Nawaz:

It's been decades in the making, but U.S. prosecutors got a crack today at a prime suspect in the Pan Am bombing that killed 270 people. He appeared before a federal magistrate in Washington, after being extradited from Libya, but did not enter a plea.

John Yang has our report.

John Yang:

Nearly 34 years after the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 rained down over Scotland, today, the accused bomb-maker finally saw the inside of an American court.

Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi is facing federal criminal charges in the deadliest terror attack ever on British soil. All 259 people aboard died, along with 11 others on the ground, when the jumbo jet was blown out of the sky shortly after taking off from London for New York.

They were citizens of 21 different countries. The majority, 190 of them, were American. One of them, Bert Ammerman's brother Tom.

Bert Ammerman, Brother of Pan Am Flight 103 Victim: He was 36, young. He didn't get to live his life.

John Yang:

The powerful blast scattered debris across 845 square miles of Scottish countryside. The United States charged Mas'ud in 2020, after learning that he had admitted to Libyan authorities that he had built the bomb.

Then-Attorney General William Barr made the announcement on the 32nd anniversary of the attack.

William Barr, Former U.S. Attorney General:

Let there be no mistake. No amount of time or distance will stop the United States and our Scottish partners from pursuing justice in this case.

John Yang:

Mas'ud is the third Libyan intelligence officer the United States has charged in the case, but the first to be tried in an American courtroom.

Victoria Cummock lost her husband, John, in the bombing.

Victoria Cummock, Wife of Pan Am Flight 103 Victim: It's the victims' families fervent wish that U.S. criminal trial proceedings begin immediately. Justice delayed is justice denied. The victims' families are keenly aware that, after 34 years, informants and witnesses die, memories fade and evidence can deteriorate or disappear.

John Yang:

For years, the only person convicted in the case was Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who was sentenced by a Scottish court to life in prison.

In 2009, Scottish authorities released him on humanitarian grounds after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died in Tripoli three years later. With Mas'ud in U.S. custody, the families of the victims of Flight 103 hope that justice will finally be served.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm John Yang.

Amna Nawaz:

Across the nation, a major winter storm pushed east today after pummeling Northern California and Nevada. Over the weekend, Soda Springs, California, recorded more than 43 inches of snowfall within 48 hours. Areas south of Lake Tahoe saw 36 inches, cutting visibility and closing roads. Blizzard warnings were issued today in the Northern Plains, with heavy rain and possible tornadoes headed for the South.

Iran has executed a second prisoner for alleged crimes during anti-government protests. State media reports he was publicly hanged today. Majidreza Rahnavard had appeared in court after his arrest in mid-November. Prosecutors said he stabbed two paramilitary members to death.

Israel has acknowledged that its troops shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian girl overnight during a raid in the occupied West Bank. The military says it was unintentional and that the soldiers were aiming at a gunman who shot at them. This has been the region's most violent year since 2006, with at least 150 Palestinians and 31 Israelis killed.

Back in this country, federal and local officials around El Paso, Texas, struggle today to cope with one of the largest migrant crossings in recent years. Up to 1,000 people, mostly from Nicaragua, waded across the Rio Grande late on Saturday night. Some carried children in their arms as they headed for El Paso to await processing. Border crossings in the region have surged in recent months.

The newly installed mayor of Los Angeles Democrat, Karen, Bass has declared a state of emergency on homelessness in her first official act today. Bass was sworn in on Sunday as the first woman to lead the city. She also faces high crime rates and racism and corruption scandals.

And on Wall Street today, stocks rose on hopes that the Federal Reserve will go smaller on interest rate hikes. Major indices were up 1.25 to 1.5 percent. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 528 points to close back above 34000. The Nasdaq rose 139 points. The S&P 500 added 56.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; an increasing number of people in the United Kingdom go hungry because of price spikes; a new film dramatizes an improbable friendship during the Korean War; plus much more.