Lockerbie victims to be remembered 25 years on from terror bombing Events marking Lockerbie bombing are being held at home and abroad this week 25 years after the terrorist atrocity killed 270 people. First Minister Alex Salmond will attend a ceremony at Dryfesdale Cemetery in Lockerbie. Lord Wallace, Advocate General for Scotland and former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, will also attend. A service will also be held at Westminster Abbey, attended by Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael and Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The British Government is sending Scotland Office minister David Mundell to a memorial ceremony on Saturday in the US, where most of the victims were from. "I am pleased to represent the UK Government at the memorial service in Arlington National Cemetery," said Mr Mundell, MP for Lockerbie. The memorial service will provide time to pause for thought and remember the loss of life on that tragic night. A cairn of red sandstone, one brick for every life lost, stands at the cemetery in Virginia. The blocks come from Corsehill Quarry in Annan, Dumfriesshire. Pan Am flight 103 exploded above Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway, on the evening of December 21 1988, killing all on board and 11 people on the ground. Much of the focus is on America, where 189 of the victims on the Boeing 747 were from. Forty-three victims on the plane and in the town were from the UK, with a further 19 nationalities among the dead. The bombing was a truly international incident, ultimately leading to two Libyan suspects being sent to trial at a special Scottish court in the Netherlands. Only one man, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing. He was found guilty in January 2001 and given a life sentence. Megrahi was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, leading to a pivotal decision to free him under compassionate release rules. Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill took that decision on August 20 the following year, sparking a huge row among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Megrahi died in Tripoli in May 2012. Despite the guilty verdict and Megrahi's decision to drop a subsequent appeal against conviction, politicians, campaigners and families of victims are still dealing with the impact. A petition by pressure group Justice For Megrahi has been inching through the Scottish Parliament with calls on the Government to open an inquiry into the conviction. Families of Lockerbie victims in the US and UK remain divided over who is to blame for the bombing 25 years on from the atrocity. Many British families believe al Megrahi was innocent. Dr Jim Swire, father of British victim Flora Swire, said: "Our governments, British and American, keep on trying to get us to believe something that's clearly not true. We now know beyond doubt that Megrahi was not involved in any way and there's no evidence that Libya was ever involved. Dr Swire from Gloucestershire, who campaigned for Megrahi's release, said: "The real perpetrators were not Libyans, and they brought the bomb on board not in Malta but in Heathrow." He said he does not blame the US families for their views as they had been "indoctrinated" by the US government from the time of Megrahi's trial at Camp Zeist trial in the Netherlands. "It's sad to me that the American relatives have not taken the time to look at the evidence that has come out since the trial," he said. I'm in a very difficult position because I don't like to disturb their closure, but we relatives have the right to know why our loved ones were not protected and who killed them. Eventually we will, because the British relatives will seek a full inquiry and an appeal into why Megrahi was found guilty. On Saturday Dr Swire will speak at the Westminster Abbey service. Reflecting on the 25 years that have passed, he said: "We live with the loss of our loved ones every day of every year."