Lockerbie Trial Delayed Until 2000

The trial of two Libyans suspected of blowing up a Pan Am jet over Scotland in 1988 will be delayed until February to give defense lawyers more time to prepare, a Scottish judge decided. High Court Judge Lord Sutherland agreed to grant the extension after meeting privately with the suspects and their attorneys. His ruling means the bombing trial won’t get underway until Feb. 4, at the earliest, and could be further delayed if the lawyers ask for a second extension, which is allowed under Scottish law. The suspects were handed over in April for trial in the Netherlands under Scottish law.