Terrorism: Its Evolving Nature

The following is a reprint of a statement by Ambassador Bremer presented in Congressional testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., on February 9, 1989. The statement has been published as Current Policy No. 1151 by the Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. The callous destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, was a terrible international tragedy. The victims were not only the passengers and crew on the plane and the villagers in Lockerbie Scotland, but also their relatives, friends, and all those who were touched by this horrible act. We deeply regret the loss families and friends of those on Pan Am 103 have suffered, and we share their anguish. And we share the pain of the people of Lockerbie who also lost friends and relatives. We are determined to do everything in our power to see that this cowardly, senseless act will not go unpunished. We are committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice. Working with the British and other governments, we will follow every lead until we have answers. It may take time-there are not always quick answers in these cases-but I am confident that by using all of our resources, we will succeed in locating the murderers. Then we will exert all efforts to bring them to justice. Right now investigators from the FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation are in Lockerbie, in London, in Frankfurt, and elsewhere working closely with their counterparts. We have established a task force within the intelligence community to mobilize our assets worldwide to gather information on potential suspects. We have approached dozens of other governments through intelligence and diplomatic channels for their assistance. Because the case is under investigation, and hopefully will eventually lead to trial, I am sure you will understand that I am not able to discuss the details of the investigation itself. However, I am optimistic that in the end, we will succeed.