Lockerbie Appeal Hears Evidence of Heathrow Break-in

Two former security officials told the Lockerbie appeals court today that they saw evidence of a break-in into a restricted baggage area at Heathrow airport, testimony which defence lawyers say casts doubt on the conviction of a Libyan man for the downing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Raymond Manly, a retired security guard at Heathrow, said he had discovered the break-in about 18 hours before the New York-bound airliner took off. His supervisor, Philip Radley, confirmed that Mr Manly had reported the incident to him and that the police were informed.

A bomb, which police said was concealed in a cassette recorder inside a brown suitcase, exploded shortly after takeoff on December 21 1988, killing all 259 people on board and 11 on the ground in Lockerbie.

Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, 49, a former Libyan intelligence officer, was convicted of putting the bomb-laden suitcase into the baggage system at Malta airport, from where it was transferred onto the Pan Am Boeing 747. He was sentenced last year to life imprisonment.

Defence attorney William Taylor last week told the appellate court at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands that the new evidence would prove that the bomb was more likely to have been loaded onto the plane in London than in Malta.

Mr Manly described the padlock on the access door to the baggage area as a u-shaped piece that was secured between two doors by a one-inch-thick metal bar. He said he found the bar "out of position," providing easy access to the restricted area.

It looked like a "very deliberate act" by professionals, he testified.

Mr Radley told the five appellate judges that Mr Manly had called him to report the broken lock, and he went to investigate. He recorded the incident in his logbook with the words "Door at T3 2a lock broken off."

"The top arm was broken," Mr Radley said. Asked to be more specific, he said the lock was broken in two, which would have required great force.

He said he was interviewed by the police about the break-in after the Lockerbie disaster.

The security men were never called to testify in the original trial, and the defence said they had no knowledge of this line of evidence until after the verdict was delivered a year ago.

The prosecution had tried to block the appearance of the new witnesses, saying the overwhelming circumstantial evidence on which al-Megrahi was found guilty remained valid. It said the court should uphold the conviction.

The court ruled, however, to take the unusual step of hearing the new witnesses.