§ Mr. PrescottTo ask the Prime Minister if she will report to the House on the circumstances in which senior Government officials and others gave private briefings to journalists in which they stated that they knew both the identity and the whereabouts of those responsible for planting a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103 which exploded over Lockerbie.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Advocate issued a statement to the press on Friday about progress in the investigation. He said
The type of item of baggage in which the tape recorder was contained is now known and that will allow the police to take a further step forward in the enquiries they are making, both on a national and international basis.I can confirm that it appears that all the explosives were packed in the tape recorder and were not located elsewhere in the item of baggage.If we can move forward from knowing not just the type of the item of baggage, as I have to put it, but to an identification of the owner of that bag, clearly, I think it can be appreciated that we would then have taken a further significant step forward.Although the progress of the enquiry has been remarkable, the evidence which has been secured so far has not yet led to the identification of the person or persons responsible for placing the bomb in baggage on Pan Am Flight 103. Enquiries are continuing with that end in view.Of course there are suspicions and of course a number of lines of enquiry are being pursued, but what I would not like people to believe at the moment is that I am holding something back, or that the British Authorities are holding something back, for some obscure or ulterior purpose.My primary concern, because I am responsible not only for the investigation but also for the prosecution, is to ensure that there is no prejudice either to that investigation or ultimately to a prosecution. I appreciate that the public both nationally and internationally are very anxious to know what is going on but I think they should also appreciate, indeed I hope they do, that the ultimate success that we wish to achieve in this is the bringing to justice of those people who were responsible for this mass murder.In association with the FBI, the West German BKA and the Metropolitan Police investigators are continuing to pursue and investigate all matters which have a possible bearing on this case. These include the finding of a bomb and a radio cassette player in Frankfurt in October 1988 As I indicated in my answer in the House of Lords yesterday the possible connection between that bomb and the Lockerbie disaster is being scrutinised with the greatest care. I should emphasise that the two persons held in custody in Germany have not been arrested in connection with Lockerbie.I have to say, as I have said several times before, that the success of these enquiries is not likely to be assisted by the kind of wild, irresponsible speculation in some newspaper reports this morning. Although some of those reports purport to be based on 'Whitehall sources' they are not accurate. The only authoritative information about the progress of this investigation is that issued by me, or on my authority, by the senior investigating officer in charge of the enquiries.I will authorise disclosure of relevant information about the progress of the investigation wherever possible and as soon as possible, as we all recognise the general interest of the public and the particular interest of the relatives of the victims to be informed about the matter".That remains the position.