A South Florida woman who lost her husband in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, is speaking out after the arrest of a Libyan intelligence official in connection with the act of terrorism.
Victoria Cummock has made it her life's mission to hold the terrorists involved accountable for the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing that killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground.
The New York-bound Pan Am flight exploded over Lockerbie less than an hour after takeoff from London, killing citizens from 21 different countries.
PAN AM FLIGHT 103
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Among the 190 Americans on board was Cummock's husband, John. Just 38 at the time, John Cummock had been in London on business and was flying back to spend Christmas with his wife and three children.
"The December 21, 1988 bombing of Pan American Flight 103 was the largest terrorist attack against America in this country's history until 9/11," Cummock said. "With the bombing of Pan Am 103, the U.S. government washed their hands of all of this and left it in the hands of the Scots."
Cummock, who lives in Coral Gables, said she received an alert Sunday morning from the Department of Justice that Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi was taken into U.S. custody and accused of making the bomb that brought the plane down.
Though he is the third Libyan intelligence official charged in the U.S. in connection with the attack, he would be the first to appear in an American courtroom for prosecution.
"This is a major milestone for us," Cummock said. "If these people are not brought to justice history continues to repeat itself. Terrorists know it is an easy target to attack Americans and the flying public."
Cummock said she is hopeful this first step will begin to address the more than three decades-long miscarriage of justice.
"At least at this point they're starting to lift the veil a little bit," she said.
Cummock said she plans to attend the trial once it begins.
