Families of those killed when a bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, are pushing back against a television drama series about the terrorist attack.
That includes Glenn Johnson of Hempfield whose daughter, Beth Ann, a senior at Seton Hill University, was on her way home from a semester abroad Dec. 21, 1988, when the airplane was torn apart, killing 259 passengers and crew members and 11 people on the ground. He criticized the series.
“I believe that this whole thing is nothing but misinformation,” he said.
Johnson also is concerned that the series, which is being carried on NBC’s Peacock, might taint potential jurors.
Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, a Libyan intelligence official, was taken into U.S. custody two years ago, and attorneys are preparing for trial in Washington, D.C. He is accused of making the bomb that destroyed the plane.
“Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” was released Thursday in conjunction with Sky Atlantic, a British television channel. Its five episodes follow Jim Swire, played by actor Colin Firth, whose daughter died on the plane. Swire wrote “The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice.”
The New York-bound Pan Am flight exploded over Lockerbie less than an hour after takeoff from London. Citizens from 21 countries were killed. There were 190 Americans on board.
Beth Ann Johnson was traveling with her Seton Hill classmate, Elyse Saraceni, when the bomb hidden in a cassette recorder exploded in Flight 103’s cargo hold.
Army Maj. Charles McKee, 40, of Trafford and University of Pittsburgh professor David J. Gould, 45, of Squirrel Hill also died in the bombing, which investigators consider the first terrorist attack on America.
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi of Libya was convicted in the bombing. He was released early from prison on humanitarian grounds in 2009 and died three years later. A second person was acquitted.
Board members of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 released a statement Thursday about the television series and said concerns about it have been raised with the producers over the past two years.
“We are incredibly frustrated and angry about the content in the series,” the statement said. “It does exactly what we feared it would: amplifies falsehoods and unsupported theories, ignores the work of hundreds of family members by focusing on one, disregards the work of investigators and prosecutors, and brings to life, in grotesque detail, the events of December 21, 1988.
“Worst of all, the series presents a convicted murderer as an innocent man that should be empathized with. This show dishonors the memories of our family members and puts doubt in the public about those that committed this heinous act. We are appalled.”
A statement from Sky Studios reported by The Scottish Sun indicates producers understood there are opposing viewpoints. Swire believes the man convicted was innocent, The Scottish Sun reported.
“We do not underestimate the responsibility of telling this story sensitively,” the Sky Studios statement said. “We engaged with victims’ families and support groups throughout production and in the lead up to the series launch.”
Johnson told TribLive on Friday that evidence presented at al-Megrahi’s trial showed he played a role in the bombing.
“There was no question that he was guilty,” Johnson said. “We have the man that built the bomb in custody in Washington, D.C., right now and a trial’s coming.”
The statement from the victims’ families said they stand by the decades of work by investigators and prosecutors.
“From the first episode, it is clear that searching for the truth was never the intention of this series,” they said. “We are disappointed and very concerned with the damage it will do.
“This series has an agenda, and we will not let the memories of our loved ones be tarnished by falsehoods.
“Those involved in this project should be ashamed.”