A Libyan man accused of constructing the bomb that killed Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie 34 years ago is currently in the custody of the United States, according to Scottish authorities.

Before two years ago, the United States announced charges against Abu Agila Masud, stating that he played a crucial part in the 21 December 1988 attack.

The explosion on the Boeing 747 killed 270 people.

It is the deadliest terrorist attack that has ever occurred on British territory.

All 259 passengers and crew aboard the London-to-New York-bound jumbo flight perished, while 11 individuals perished in Lockerbie as debris destroyed their homes.

Last month it was reported that Masud had been kidnapped by a militia group in Libya, leading to anticipation that he was going to be handed over to the American authorities to stand justice.

In 2001 Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of bombing Pan Am 103 after standing trial at a specially-convened Scottish court in the Netherlands.

He was the sole individual convicted for the attack.

Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison, but the Scottish government freed him on compassionate grounds in 2009 after he was stricken with cancer.

He died in Libya in 2012.

Megrahi, who always maintained his innocence, appealed his 27-year sentence twice. One was unsuccessful and the other was abandoned.

The families of those killed in the Lockerbie bombing have been informed that the suspect Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (“Mas’ud” or “Masoud”) is in US custody, according to a spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

“Scottish prosecutors and police, in collaboration with the United Kingdom government and American colleagues, will continue to pursue this inquiry with the sole intent of bringing those who collaborated with Al Megrahi to justice.”