Somerville Film Producer Identifies New Suspects In 1988 Pan Am Flight Bombing

BOSTON (CBS) -- Ken Dornstein was only 19 when his brother died David in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing.

Now, almost 27 years later, Dornstein -- a Somerville-based film documentarian -- has solved this massive, international puzzle. Dornstein believes he has identified the bombers who, for decades, flew under the FBI and British authorities' radar.

Two Libyans were convicted of the bombings, but investigators always knew there were more people involved. After Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime fell in 2011, Dornstein went to Libya several times to search for leads. He documented his exhaustive work for a piece on the PBS series "Frontline."

"We had a list of names and we started knocking on doors," Dornstein said.

His long and exhaustive search led to two men: Abdullah Senussi -- a Gaddafi intelligence officer -- and a man named Massoud Abu Agela. Both men are on trial for sedition under the current regime in Libya. Dornstein found that Abu Agela was the mastermind behind the Pan Am bombing.

"I found out that this bomb maker, this mystery man, was alive," he said. "The one who connected the wires, and I believe pushed the detonator."

Sarah Philipps was one of the many Americans on that plane. The college student from Newton was heading home for Christmas after a semester abroad.

"Ken's research has made a tremendous difference in this case," Sarah's mother, Elizabeth, told WBZ-TV.

"He's keeping his brother in his life the same way we try to keep Sarah in ours," she said.

The US government is now taking a closer look.