Lockerbie witness denies bomb role

Pan Am Flight 103 devastated Lockerbie

An Iranian Kurd has told the Lockerbie trial in the Netherlands that he had played no part in the bombing 12 years ago.

Parviz Taheri made his statement while giving evidence at the trial of the Libyans accused of murdering 270 people.

The court heard Mr Taheri admit that he had travelled to London from Frankfurt on the Pan Am feeder service which linked into the doomed Flight 103.

Trial details

The two accused are Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 48, and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, 44

Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988, killing all 259 people on board and another 11 on the ground

The two men deny three charges - murder, conspiracy to murder and a breach of the 1982 Aviation Security Act

The trial is taking place in a Scottish courtroom at Camp Zeist, in the Netherlands

The case is being heard by three Scottish judges

He also confessed to owning a notebook which contained the address of a flat where German police found a large quantity of arms and explosives.

Mr Taheri is one of 10 people named in a special defence of incrimination.

He fled to Germany from Iran in the early 1980s on a forged passport and now lives in Sweden.

Bill Taylor QC, who is acting on behalf of one of the two accused, outlined a "series of coincidences" involving the witness.

He said Mr Tehari had flown to London on the feeder flight to the jumbo which blew up over Lockerbie; he had been questioned by German detectives about the flat containing the weapons and he had known how to arrange false travel documents.

But the witness told the court he had travelled to London to meet his future wife's family.

And he denied allegations by airport staff that he was restless, worried and sweating.

As for the address in the notebook, Mr Taheri said it had been one of many places he had investigated for setting up a business.

The trial continues.