1999 — Libya Hands Over the Lockerbie Suspects

On April 5, 1999, Libya finally surrendered two accused intelligence agents, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, to face trial under Scottish law in the Netherlands. They were accused in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people, including 189 Americans. The handover, sealed with heavy lobbying from Nelson Mandela, ended a long standoff.

The moment the suspects touched down at Camp Zeist, seven years of crippling United Nations sanctions against Libya came to an end. For the families of Lockerbie, the surrender at last set a trial in motion, eleven years after the bombing.