European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday june 15, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 5officials doubt Lockerbie claim Beirut Lebanon apr judicial authorities sought tuesday to discredit a claim by a palestinian terrorist that he blew up pan am flight 103 in 1988, killing 270 people. The . Ambassador also said he doubted the Validity of mondays courtroom confession by Youssuf Shaaban who is on trial in the assassination of a jordanian Diplomat in january. Prosecutor Munif owe Dat maintained that Shaaban confessed to the bombing and assassination to end what the de Pendant claimed was torture by police interrogators. A to end that torture i confessed to the assassination and i even confessed to the Lockerbie bombing a owe Dat quoted Shaaban As saying. A prosecutor at the trial Hisham Kaba Lan added to the confusion by denying that Shaaban even mentioned the bombing. But reporters covering the trial heard Shaaban say it personally blew up the Lockerbie  they have asked that his admission be registered in the trials transcript. Quot Kabalan s Blunt denial was As startling a Surprise As Shaaban s admission to the Lockerbie bombing a the opposition newspaper Idaa Al Walan said tuesday. A Shaaban did mention Lockerbie and More than  . Ambassador Mark Hambley called the confession a a great surprised and cast doubt on its credibility. A we done to have any accurate information a he said in the lebanese port of Tripoli noting that the United states and Britain have charged two libyans with the jetliner bombing. Shaaban 29, a Follower of terrorist Mastermind Abu Nidal a Fatah revolutionary Council is standing trial with two comrades in the Jan 29 assassination of Nab Imran Maaytah first Secretary at Jordan a embassy in Beirut. The next court session has been set for monday. Shaaban offered no details to substantiate his claim of responsibility for the plane bombing in the past it has been blamed variously on Iran then Syria and then Libya which was targeted by International sanctions. Two suspected libyan intelligence agents have been charged in Britain and the United states in the bombing. The two countries demanded Libya hand them Over for trial. But libyan Leader Moa mar Qadhafi refused leading the . Security Council to impose sanctions against Libya in april 1992. On monday libyan television said the United states and Britain should drop the charges against the libyans following Shaaban a confession. The confused reaction to Shaaban a admission suggested judicial officials believed the Dale Nannt was seeking extradition to the United states or Britain to escape a death sentence in the assassination of Maaytah. A bomb ripped apart the fan am Boeing 747 Over t the scottish town of Lockerbie on dec. 21, 19s8, As it flew from London to new York. All 259 people aboard and 11 people on the found died. Court sources speaking on condition of anonymity speculated that Shaaban might have been instructed by Abu Nidal to take the heat Over the bombing and re live Libya chief Backer of the terrorist group. Abu Nidal is believed to be living in Libya. Lebanese foreign minister fares Boucic said fresh Legal proceedings would be held for Shaaban in the Lockerbie Case if his claim proved True. Los Angeles a police briefly handcuffed . Simpson and questioned him for three hours monday after the bloodied bodies of his sex wife and another Man were found outside her condominium. Simpson denied involvement in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson 35, and Ronald Lyle Goldman 25. He was not arrested but the los Angeles times quoted an unidentified police source As saying the football Hall of Famer is under investigation. A passer by found Nicole Simpsons body near a Gate to the West los Angeles condominium Early monday. Police found Goldman a body in shrubbery nearby. Police  say when the two died. A blood soaked Glove was found at . Simpsons Home the times and the daily news of los Angeles reported citing unidentified police sources the daily news reported that the Glove matched one found near the bodies. A i know nothing a , Simpson said As he got into a patrol car monday. Simpson pleaded no contest to wife beating in 1989, paid a $700 Fine and served two years probation. He had been accused of screaming a til kill you a As he slapped and kicked his wife. The couples 5-year-old boy and 7-Ycar-old girl were found sleeping in their mothers condominium. They were turned Over to relatives. The Simpsons were divorced in 1992 but were said to be discussing a reconciliation a the situation had seemed better Quot neighbor Robert Gerard  takes chunk of Navy s Dolphin forces san Diego apr the end of the cold War has claimed another victim the Navy s Fleet of bottle nose dolphins. The Navy is offering to give away about 25 dolphins that were trained to find underwater explosives but whose services Are no longer needed. Officials estimate that the dolphins Are Worth $10,000 to $25,000 apiece but Only four Marine Parks have expressed interest. Most of the possible takers say they already Are fully stocked with dolphins. Animal rights activists asked the Navy to Send four or five dolphins to a Center in the Florida keys where they would be retrained to live in the wild and released. The activists said the dolphins Are a prisoners of War who have deserve a honorable  but the Navy said the dolphins might introduce diseases into the wild population. If it can to give away the 25 to 30 excess dolphins the Navy said it will care for them for the rest of the animals  death of sex wife Man Goldman Nicole Simpson . Simpsons attorney Howard Citzman said the two were often together on family outings and both attended their daughters dance recital sunday. Weitzman said the former football player flew to Chicago on business about 11 . Sunday and returned around noon monday after police notified him of Nicole Simpsons death. A emr. Simpson is not being treated As a suspect a Citzman said. A the had nothing to do with this  police Arentt ruling anyone out As a suspect cmdr David Gascon said. Autopsies were planned for tuesday. Coroners spokesman Scott Carrier said a Sharp Force injuries a which might include stabbing contributed to the deaths the daily news said the victims throats were slashed. Goldman was a waiter at the restaurant where Nicole Simpson dined sunday but he did not serve her restaurant owner Karim Souki said. A she had dinner Here. She called later to see if we found her glasses and we found them a Souki said. He said Goldman volunteered to return them. Neighbor Beverly Newman told the daily news that she had often seen Goldman playing with Simpsons children. Police questioned . Simpson for about three hours monday Gascon said. Afterwards he returned Home and police who had spent the Day searching his $1.2 million Brentwood estate left. The House is about two Miles from Nicole Simpsons Home. Detective Tom Lange chief inspector at the site refused to discuss what investigators found. As he left the House he carried a pair of White Tennis shoes. . Simpson checked into the of Hare Plaza hotel in Chicago on monday morning and left in a hurry about two hours later general manager Peter Phillips said. He had made his reservation a few Days earlier. Simpson said he was attending a function for the Hertz car rental company for which he made a popular series of to commercials. The Abc to sports commentator has also appeared in several movies including the three nuked gun co medics. He played for the National football leagues Buffalo Bills then the san Francisco 49ers. He retired in 1979. Appeals court annuls verdict of $105.2 million against pm Atlanta apr general motors corp. Won a major Victory monday when a court tossed out a $105.2 million negligence verdict against the automaker in the death of a Georgia teen Ager whose pickup exploded. Last years award to Thomas and Elaine Moseley by a Fulton county jury was one of the highest Ever in a product liability Case. The Snellville couples 17-Ycar-old son Shannon died in the 1989 wreck. The Georgia court of appeals agreed with pm that the Moseley so lawyers a poisoned Quot the Case by improperly linking it to 120 other lawsuits involving pm pickups. The court said no evidence linking those cases to the Moseley so was Ever presented to the jury. References to other trials May be used Only if some similarities Are legally established the court said. A a plaintiffs counsels repeated breach of that ruling can Only be regarded As deliberate a the court said. Throughout the trial the family a lawyers referred to others who allegedly were killed or injured because of pickup fuel tank explosions. In a dramatic closing plea to the jury Moseley attorney James Butler clutching a charred fuel tank warned that a More will die if pm is not punished. Butler did not return a Call for comment monday in an Issue that could prove important if the Case is retried however the court said the jury a award of s101 million in punitive damages a aside from $4,2 million in other damages a was not excessive. The court noted Gmys size and the fact that so Many of the trucks Are in use. A the amount of punitive damages. Was not unreasonable and rationally served the purpose of punishing and deterring Quot the court said. Pm spokesman de Blechtzin said the company was pleased with the ruling but declined further comment. Elaine Moseley told the Atlanta journal and Constitution that she was disappointed but does not regret taking the automaker to court a i feel like we have won because we accomplished what we set out to do a a to warn people that these trucks Are dangerous a she said. A Money Isnit going to bring Shannon Back and that in t what this is about. Its about principle. We trusted them that this truck  be on the Road if it Wasny to  the ruling can to be appealed further in slate court because the Georgia supreme cd ourt previously had said it had no jurisdiction in the Case. It Wasny to immediately Clear whether the ruling could be appealed to the Federal courts