Lockerbie is a postcard-perfect town in Scotland, complete with flowing river, frolicking lambs, and a proud clock tower standing head and shoulders over red sandstone buildings. Thirty-seven years ago, tragedy struck when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the town. On 21 December 1988, the plane took off from Frankfurt to Detroit with stops scheduled for London and New York. Between the two stopovers, the plane exploded over Scotland, killing everyone on board, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground.
With debris scattered across the countryside, it created the world’s largest-ever crime scene and was billed one of the worst acts of air terrorism until 9/11. After finding a bomb fragment amongst the wreckage, the FBI and Scottish authorities launched an investigation that went global, working together for years to solve the case.
The investigation led to Libyan intelligence operatives, with their government eventually agreeing to take responsibility for the attack and pay compensation to victims’ families. Nevertheless, many mysteries about the bombing remain unsolved, with loved ones continuing the search for answers.
This search forms the basis of the miniseries Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, starring Colin Firth. The actor portrays Jim Swire, an Englishman who went on a mission of justice for the victims, which included his daughter Flora. The series – based on Swire’s book – questions whether Libya was really responsible and demands answers about warnings given before the bombing that were not made public. It’s a rabbit hole of a mystery, quagmired with questions, suspicion, and doubt.
Also released this year is the CNN Original documentary series, Lockerbie, which similarly probes into the mystery of who was responsible. The series interviews investigators, intelligence officers, key witnesses, and those affected by the crash, including Jim Swire.
Questions linger. Next year, the man believed to be responsible for making the bomb will go on trial. But too often relegated to the neglected annals of history are those who lost their lives. The victims on board were people from 21 countries, ranging in age from 2 months to 82 years. Thirty-five of the passengers were students from Syracuse University’s London campus, returning home for Christmas. The 270 people killed (259 on board, 11 on the ground) have been commemorated at Arlington National Cemetery and Syracuse University in the United States. In Lockerbie, memorials have been erected in different parts of the town, including a Garden of Remembrance. The shows search for truth, as they should, but let them also serve as memorials to those caught in the crossfire of such horrors.
Watch the miniseries, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, on Wednesdays at 21:00 on M-Net channel 101 or catch up on DStv Stream here. The documentary series, Lockerbie, starts Thursday 30 October at 22:00 on M-Net.
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