Dateline: December 24, 1999
The American-British Version of
The Bombing of Pan Am 103
Is Crumbling
By Graham K. Yost
New evidence has surfaced that blows huge holes in the prosecution of two
Libyans awaiting trial in Holland, before a Scottish Court. The unusual trial is part of
an international agreement reached with Libyan ruler, Moammar Gadhafi. Proceedings are
scheduled to get underway in May.
For years the alternative version of the bombing has been feverishly
attacked by the United States government, for good reason. Investigators, journalists, and
government agents around the world have claimed the bomb was substituted, replacing a
shipment of heroin. The heroin was being carried by an informant for the United State Drug
enforcement administration, as part of a controlled drug run from Lebanon to Detroit, MI
to entrap drug dealers in the United States.
In an upcoming one hour documentary, being prepared by American Public
Radio for 700 stations, new evidence confirms the DEA was running drugs, sometimes without
the knowledge of local authorities. The DEA office in Nicosia, Cyprus got caught red
handed.
Two Lebanese from the Kabbara family, near Tripoli, were caught at Rome,
Italy's International Airport with a cache of heroin hidden in plastic coat hangers. The
Tribunale DeRoma ruled the drugs were destined for the United States and the Kabbaras were
on the United States Government payroll. DEA Cyprus Country Office denied it, but the
three Italian judges ruled, "DEA Country Attache, Michael Hurley, cannot be
believed."
The Kabbaras were doing more for the Americans than running drugs. Italian
police discovered the Lebanese brothers had a company in Rome, called Kinex, (Kabbara
International Export). Kinex was actively "purchasing" military supplies in the
early 80's from United States suppliers and shipping them to Iraq. Police also found that
the telephone listed for Kinex actually rang in the United States Embassy in Rome. As in
other cases, DEA Cyprus regularly "loaned " drug informants to the CIA who ran
them as special assets.
DEA officials in Cyprus, testifying in civil proceedings in Great Britain,
repeatedly denied the existence of "controlled deliveries". However the public
radio documentary unit uncovered a deposition DEA Attache, Michael T. Hurley, gave in a
civil case in a South Florida Federal Court. Hurley says there were, on average, 200
informants on the DEA payroll in Lebanon, and controlled deliveries were set up about
twice a year.
Defense lawyers for the two Libyans accused of the bombing, now have firm
evidence that the Pan Am bomb got on the jumbo jet by replacing a DEA controlled drug
delivery, which was destined for Detroit, with a symtex plastique bomb.
270 men, women and children died in the disaster which occurred eleven
years ago, December 21, 1988. |