Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Prior to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, by far the worst case of air terrorism committed over Western soil was the bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988. It took investigators three years to piece together what happened and who was responsible. It took another eight years of shuttle diplomacy to bring the accused Libyan intelligence officers to trial before a Scottish court set up on a retired U.S. airbase known as Camp Zeist in the Netherlands. On January 31, 2001, the Scottish Court issued a mixed verdict, finding one of the accused Libyan agents guilty of the bombing of Pan Am 103 and the murder of 270 people. The verdict, however, left more questions than it answered, since it did not implicate those higher up in the Libyan government, nor did it rule out the possible involvement of other rogue states and terrorist groups in the bombing.
This book recounts the extraordinary detective story and tale of international diplomatic intrigue which led to the unusual trial at Camp Zeist. This is followed by a narrative of the trial, which highlights the prosecution's missteps, controversial rulings from the bench, and shocking revelations from key witnesses. The author is an international law professor who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won a National Book Award. As counsel to the U.S. State Department's Counter-Terrorism Bureau during the Pan Am 103 investigation, and Attorney Adviser for U.N. Affairs when international sanctions were imposed on Libya, the author fills the pages of the book with his own unique insights as well as information gleaned from hundreds of hours of interviews with his former State Department colleagues, high-level U.N. officials, and members of the prosecution and defense teams. In disclosing the full story behind the Lockerbie trial, this book reveals how the interest in obtaining truth and justice at times took a backseat to foreign policy and political concerns. The book also explores whether state-sponsored terrorism is best dealt with through criminal prosecution or through military force and sanctions -- a question that is at the forefront of the new war on terrorism.
Terrorism on Trial,Michael P. Scharf,Carolina Academic Pr,0890894396,General,Law
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