Libyan Politician Shegwara arrested after publishing documents related to Lockerbie bombing

Libyan writer and politician Samir Shegwara has been arrested on national security charges after he published documents that allegedly link his country’s intelligence services to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

Shegwara, who has been openly discussing these files since 2018, was detained on 20 March 2025 after the BBC reported that the documents could serve as vital evidence against a Libyan suspect, Abu Agila Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, who is facing trial in the US for his involvement in the bombing. The Lockerbie bombing, which resulted in the deaths of 270 people, has remained one of the most significant terror attacks in history.

Shegwara’s arrest comes two days after the documents have reportedly been examined by Scottish detectives.

The documents, which Shegwara and French investigative journalists Karl Laske and Vincent Nouzille co-authored in the book The Murderer Who Must Be Saved, suggest that Libyan intelligence was involved not only in the Lockerbie bombing but also in the destruction of UTA Flight 772 in 1989. The files reportedly contain significant evidence, including details of bomb tests conducted weeks before the Pan Am Flight 103 attack. These revelations have drawn attention to the role of senior Libyan officials, including Abdullah Senussi, the former head of Libya’s intelligence services, and Al-Megrahi, who was convicted for the Lockerbie bombing in 2001.

In light of his arrest, Shegwara and his supporters, including his publishers Robert Laffont Publishing, have expressed concern that the Libyan authorities are attempting to silence his revelations. The publisher has called for the charges against Shegwara to be dropped, asserting that the documents are authentic and crucial for historical and public understanding. Despite being provisionally released on 1 April, Shegwara remains under the threat of a potential retrial and further incarceration.

The documents have been described as potentially explosive, providing new insights into the planning of the Lockerbie bombing and other attacks orchestrated by the Gaddafi regime.