The civil trial took place in 1992 in the Eastern District of New York , before United States District Court Judge Thomas C. Platt . In his book , Wallis , a former Director of Security for the International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) brings together the facts surrounding the sabotage on 21 December 1988 of Pan Am Flight 103 , and details how the civil litigation developed so many of the facts surrounding the bombing for the first time . Wallis 's book uncovers the fundamental weaknesses in Pan Am 's communication and corporate security management policies which created an environment where good aviation security was impossible . The government 's unusual role in protecting sensitive aviation security information that was introduced at trial is also described . The jury eventually found defendant Pan American Airways liable for " willful misconduct . " The criminal trial was held in 2000 at a specially convened Scottish Court in the Netherlands . Two Libyans were accused of carrying out the Lockerbie bombing : one was convicted on 270 counts of murder ( Abdelbaset al-Megrahi ) and was sentenced to life imprisonment ; the other was found not guilty ( Lamin Khalifah Fhimah ) and was released
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Lockerbie: The Story and the Lessons