The episode opens in August 2009, 20 years and 8 months after the Lockerbie bombing. At Barlinnie Prison, Adbelbaset Al Megrahi (Ardalan Esmaili) is removing a laminated paper with Arabic writing from the wall when a guard (Matt McClure) enters and asks if he will miss them. Megrahi says yes and hands him the laminated paper. The guard accompanies him to a waiting van. Megrahi climbs inside. The guard watches as the van and police escort depart. A newscaster reports on al-Megrahi’s release. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III criticizes Scottish Justice Minister Kenny Macaskill’s decision to release al-Megrahi who killed 270 people. Al-Megrahi was met by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and a large crowd of supporters. Jim Swire (Colin Firth) is watching the news when a Mirror journalist, Lance Ferguson, calls and criticizes him for supporting al-Megrahi. Jim throws the phone on the desk.

Jim rushes over to meet John Ashton (Joe Bannister) when he emerges. He questions why al-Megrahi abandoned his appeal. Shana Randall (Hiftu Quasem) says al-Megrahi’s transfer was granted under a prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Libya, even though, it was prohibited under Scottish law with an ongoing appeal. Al-Megrahi met the criteria for a compassionate release. Regardless of his location, his case still would have gone to the appeal court. In the end, al-Megrahi reneged on his promise to Jim. Shana claims the news devastated Roddy. Jim repeatedly tries to contact al-Megrahi in Tripoli. During an interview, Leila Richards (Sarah Slimani) asks Jim if he feels Megrahi got away with it. Jim criticizes her comment and calls it offensive. He says he and members of UK Families believe Megrahi was pressured into dropping his appeal to spare UK authorities from being held accountable. Elsewhere, Murray Guthrie (Sam Troughton) is watching when Jim labels al-Megrahi as the 271^st Lockerbie victim. Jane Swire (Catherine McCormack) is upset with his comment.

July 2010 – Guthrie finds Jim looking exhausted. Jim tells him that Jane spends a lot of time with Cathy Swire (Jemma Carlton). Guthrie says the WikiLeaks documents revealed the Libyans threatened to cut off all trade, including oil, to the UK if Megrahi died in Barlinnie. He tells Jim about the “Deal in the Desert” when Tony Blair met Gaddafi in 2004. After BP signed a 90-billion pound deal with Libya in 2007 and a short time later, Megrahi’s prisoner transfer agreement was signed. Jim questions if UK authorities pressured the Scottish government to release al-Megrahi who was a political pawn. Later, Jim adds a newspaper clipping about the “Deal in the Desert” to his investigation board. Historical footage regarding the controversial deal between Libya and the UK plays on the screen.

February 2011 – Jim watches a news report about an anti-Gaddafi protest in Benghazi. Hillary Clinton calls for Gaddafi to step down. Jane quietly enters the room but quickly leaves. A reporter says it has been confirmed Gaddafi ordered Megrahi to bomb Pan Am Flight 103. Megrahi tells a journalist that Jim knows he is innocent. Jim calls Megrahi. A man answers and speaks in Arabic before the call goes to voicemail. Realizing Jim is missing, Jane dials his number. His phone rings in his office. She frantically searches outside and finds him in a chair next to the creek. He tells her that he is beginning to question Megrahi’s innocence and blames no one but himself. She urges him to go visit Megrahi in Libya. Later, Jim is walking to his car when he sees a for sale sign. In Libya, Jim offers to pay Kamal (Zak Douglas) to take him to Megrahi’s address. They encounter a militia group which eventually lets them pass. Kamal drops Jim off in front of Megrahi’s house. Jim rings the doorbell. Two Arabian men answer the door. Jim tells them that he is there to see Megrahi from England. One of the men draws a gun on him and orders him to leave. Jim yells Baset until Aisha Megrahi (Selwa Jghalef) arrives and invites him in. He assures Ghada Megrahi (Tara Abboud) that he is alone. They escort him to a room where Megrahi is lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment. Megrahi asks him to come forward. Jim tells him that he viewed their relationship as a friendship. Megrahi asks for forgiveness for reneging on his promise which he had no option. He says the transfer deal required him to remain guilty and as an innocent man, he is of no use to anyone. Jim grasps his hand.

Ghada shows Jim a document with a photo of the timer fragment, the key evidence in Megrahi’s case. She says the lead investigator, Richard Marquis, said without it, there wouldn’t have been an indictment. She claims the technician who built the MEBO timer boards told Ashton that the circuitry was coated with an alloy of 70% tin and 30% lead but the PT/35(b) was coated with pure tin. Megrahi tells him that the timer fragment is not from a MEBO board or sold to Libya. Jim recalls Feraday told the court that the timer fragment was the same. Ghada points out that the document was dated four months before Feraday’s forensic report. She insists Feraday knew and the PT/35(b)was utilized to frame Megrahi. Jim and Megrahi say their goodbyes. When Jim arrives in England, Jane is waiting and invites him on holiday. Later, they pull up in front of a diner where Guthrie is waiting. Jim shows Guthrie Megrahi’s file. He suggests the US and/or UK intelligence services planted the timer fragment. Guthrie believes Gaddafi desperately wanted Megrahi to return to Libya because he was involved in the bombing. He suggests Iran got the PFLP-GC to bomb Flight 103 to avenge its Airbus explosion. When German authorities raided the PFLP-GC, the Libyans were recruited. They never thought Fhimah and Megrahi would be indicted because there wasn’t enough evidence. Guthrie assures him that the trial being a shame doesn’t mean Megrahi was innocent. Jim argues the new evidence is indisputable and it is far from over. The men shake hands.

May 2012, 23 Years and 5 Months After The Lockerbie Bombing – Jim appeals to the editors of the Frontier Editor and Union Journal regarding new evidence in the Megrahi case. He is washing dishes when a BBC report announces Megrahi’s death. He joins Jane by the campfire and tells her about Megrahi’s death. She says there was a time when she admired his drive and determination. He claims to have done it for Flora Swire. She recalls how difficult it was waiting to find out if Flora had survived and suggests they will never know the truth. He joins Cathy and his grandchildren in a game. Later, Jim plays over past events in his mind while disassembling his investigation board. He recalls embracing Flora for the last time. Jane finds him staring at Flora’s photo. The British government refuses to release intelligence documents to the public. Declassified documents allege Moussa Koussa and several Libyan intelligence officials confess to their involvement in the bombing. The bomb maker, Abu Agila Mas’ud’s, trial date is scheduled for May 12, 2025.

 

Lockerbie: A Search For Truth Review

At this point in the series, the Pan AM Flight 103 bombing and its victims have all but been forgotten. It’s all about the political controversies between Libya and the UK, and the US and Iran, and the US and Libya.

Jim Swire made a life campaign out of investigating the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing that claimed the life of his daughter, Flora. The writer tries to sway the audience by creating sympathy for Adbelbaset Al Megrahi. While Swire has many supporters, more people believe his theory is one-sided and biased.

The series presented “new evidence” that ruled out a link between PT/35(b) and MEBO and Libya when in fact, it was presented in the Lockerbie trial in 2000. It was a manipulating way to strengthen Swire’s theory. The episode deserves a 5 out of 10.

Get more Lockerbie A Search For Truth recaps here. See what others are saying about the series by clicking the link. Check out our advertising packages here. Support our platform by clicking the link.