BBC - International Terrorism (2008) Part 10 Colonel Gaddafi and Libya

International Terrorism: The Global War on Terror

The terrorist is by no means a new actor on the world stage. However, thanks to startling developments in military and communications technology, this perennial threat to freedom and security has taken a quantum leap forward during the past thirty years. In many cases, these vicious and determined men and women have supplanted nation states on the globe's “most wanted” list! This extraordinary 26-episode series provides a comprehensive look at these modern masters of political murder and extortion. From the I.R.A. to al-Qaeda, Global Terror runs the gamut of groups that have pledged themselves to destroy the stability that we cling to so tenuously—examining their goals, their methods and their terrifying prospects for success!

Part 10: Colonel Gaddafi and Libya

Early on the evening of 21 December 1988, Boeing 747 Pam Am flight 103, en route from London Heathrow to New York, was torn apart by a massive mid-air explosion above the town of Lockerbie in Scotland. There were no survivors – 243 passengers and the crew of 16 all died. But the tragedy did not end there. Eleven people on the ground also died and 21 houses were completely destroyed in the carnage. As crash investigators rushed to the scene early the following day, it soon became apparent that this was no accident and the CIA reported that a number of international terrorist organisations were already claiming responsibility. At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack in USA history and a grim warning to American citizens that they could no longer regard themselves as immune from the forces of international terrorism.

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