Smithsonian Channel Premieres THE LOCKERBIE BOMBING Tonight

On December 21st 1988, Pan American World Airways Flight 103 exploded in the skies above Lockerbie, a small town in Scotland. All 259 people on board the Boeing 747 were killed, as were 11 people on the ground. Among those on the flight were 189 Americans, including 35 Syracuse University students who had been studying abroad. The disaster was no accident. A bomb planted in the luggage hold ripped apart the plane, scattering debris over 845 square miles.

A Smithsonian Channel documentary, THE LOCKERBIE BOMBING, premieres tonight, December 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 25 years to the day of the deadliest terrorist attack on American civilians until the September 11 attacks.

THE LOCKERBIE BOMBING is a definitive account of what happened that night and what unfolded over The Following few days. The program uses footage from Scotland's STV news archives, including material that has never previously been broadcast, as well as first-hand testimonies from local residents, some sharing their stories on camera for the first time. It traces the story from check-in through the chilling moment seven days later when it was confirmed that there had been a bomb on board and that the explosion was an act of terrorism. Four families of American victims of the tragedy and members of the emergency services who responded to the disaster also tell their stories.

After two years of investigation, the blame was laid at the door of Libyan intelligence and the regime of Colonel Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. In 2001, Libyan Intelligence Officer Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was convicted by a Scottish Court of planting the bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103. Despite his conviction many questions still remain over the bombing.

THE LOCKERBIE BOMBING is produced by STV Productions for Smithsonian Channel. Executive producer for STV is Alan Clements. Executive Producers for Smithsonian Channel are Charles Poe and David Royle.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL
Smithsonian Channel is owned by Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution. Its programs are largely inspired by The Assets of the world's largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features award-winning original documentaries, series, and groundbreaking programs highlighting America's historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Smithsonian Channel brings the American Experience home in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 and is available to customers of DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cablevision, Verizon, AT&T, and more. Learn more at www.smithsonianchannel.com .

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