Why Were They Not Warned?

My beautiful brother, John Michael Ahern, aged 26, was one of the innocent victims murdered on Pan Am Flight 103. His wonderful life was prematurely ended and his body ripped to shreds.

My family's grief is overwhelming and our lives shattered forever. This bombing was the most massive terrorist attack in history aimed at American civilization.

Two hundred Americans were aboard that Flight 103 death trip. My family has received no condolences from Pan Am officials or the U.S. government. Survivors' letters and phone calls are ignored. When high-level threats occur against airlines (24 threats in 1988 deemed serious enough for the FAA to warn airlines of), the passengers and crew at risk must be informed and given the opportunity to make a choice.

I feel my life and the lives of the 270 innocent victims of Pan Am Flight 103 are just as valuable as those of embassy officials, who were warned. The first measure and purpose of security is to deter the attack - by announcing the fact that terrorists are planning an attack and lives are in danger. By publicizing threats, the government not only alerts the public but the terrorists as well. The terrorists, fearing capture, may chose to abandon their plan. Pan Am chose silence about the Flight 103 threat.

I spoke to and read about people traveling Pan Am from mid to late December and they all agree there was no increased security. The security procedures in effect were inadequate at best, i.e. curbside check-in sent luggage directly to the belly of the plane without being opened, X-rayed or matched to passenger. Carry-on bags were X-rayed but not hand searched. As each new fact about Pan Am 103 is revealed, the deeper and more painful becomes the horror.

One month before the Dec. 7 bomb threat to the airlines from the FAA, terrorists were caught with bombs concealed in radios. Common sense tells us the Dec. 7 bomb might also be concealed in a radio. Common sense also tells us that Lockerbie may be the threatened revenge for the downing of the Iranian airbus, four days before Iran's biggest holiday.

In February, 1989, reports are made public in America that one month before the Dec. 7 threat, Heathrow security was in fact searching for a bomb concealed in a specific brand radio, the same brand-named radio containing the bomb that was aboard and blew up Flight 103. Now we learn that at least three warnings were made to airlines about the possibility of bombs concealed in radio cassette players ["3 Alerts, With Details," March 17]. If Heathrow Airport had been warned of the Dec. 7 threat, I feel that they would have diligently searched the airplane before the doomed passengers boarded and 270 lives would have been saved. The plastic explosives used to bomb Pan Am Flight 103 were detonated by batteries. Batteries can be detected by X-ray machines.

Why did Pan Am feel there was no need to X-ray checked luggage after a specific bomb threat? None of these moves makes sense. What is the U.S. government's policy regarding bomb threats and protecting their citizens traveling abroad? In this tragic situation, everyone involved should consider the lifelong heartache and devastation of the families and friends of the innocent victims murdered on Pan Am Flight 103. Why were the passengers and crew not warned?

Bonnie Ahern O'Connor

Bonnie Ahern O'Connor, Why Were They Not Warned?., 03-21-1989, pp 61.