Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103′ follows the investigation into the titular case, bringing together investigators and experts from Scotland and the US to get to the bottom of the truth. The Scottish town of Lockerbie becomes the crime scene as the plane crashes over it after a bomb explosion triggered more than half an hour after takeoff from Heathrow Airport in London. While the Scottish police take over the case, the FBI sends agent Tom Thurman to lend his expertise in explosives. As the pieces of the plane are put together, Thurman plays an important role in figuring out how the plane came down and who may have been behind it.
Tom Thurman Had a Remarkable Career with the FBI
Born in Richmond, Kentucky, in 1947, Tom Thurman graduated from Eastern Kentucky University and received his MS degree in Forensic Science from the George Washington University. In the early 70s, he served as a bomb disposal technician in the US Army. He joined the FBI’s Crime Lab Explosives Unit in 1977, where he quickly rose through the ranks and got involved in major investigations over the next few decades. At the time of the Pan Am 103 bombing, he was a Supervisory Special Agent (SSI) and was sent to Lockerbie by the National Transportation Safety Board within 24 hours of the incident.
For the first couple of days, he joined other investigators and volunteers to scour the crash site and collect the plane’s parts. Soon, it was confirmed that the plane was brought down by a bomb. Later, a piece of circuit board from the bomb’s timer was located in the field. It was found to have been made by a Swiss manufacturer, which led to the bombers’ alleged link to Libya. Despite being a significant part of the investigation, especially in its initial phases, Thurman was not called in as a witness during the trial of the Libyan suspects, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah. He continued to work on other cases, like the 1983 bombing of the US Marines base and the US Embassy in Beirut, and the assassination of Judge Robert S. Vance in 1989.
He was recognized as “Person of the Week” on the ABC TV Network in November 1991. He was also involved in the investigation of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the TWA Flight 800 explosion in 1996. In the same year, another FBI agent, Frederic Whitehurst, made allegations against Thurman, among others, leading to a Department of Justice investigation into the FBI Explosives Unit. Reportedly, the inquiry concluded that Thurman “had been routinely altering the reports of scientists working in the unit”. According to the inquiry’s reports, 32 of the 52 investigated reports were found to have been altered. Following the investigation, Thurman retired from the FBI.
Tom Thurman is a Forensic Consultant Today
After retiring from the FBI, Tom Thurman moved to Richmond, Kentucky, and worked as an associate professor at the College of Law Enforcement at Eastern Kentucky University. His curriculum was centered on teaching forensic science, with a focus on fire, arson, and explosion investigations. He later retired from his post and is currently a staff member at Forensics R Us. It is a California-based consulting firm that provides training and services to law enforcement and the private sector. Now in his 70s, he continues to give lectures, seminars, and training sessions on methods of investigating bomb scenes and handling explosives. He has spoken in universities, police academies, and training schools across the country and around the world.
Thurman also authored a book called ‘Practical Bomb Scene Investigation.’ He has shared his expertise in several docuseries like ‘Air Crash Investigation Special Report,’ ‘Deadly Intelligence,’ ‘Air Crash Investigation,’ and ‘Forensic Files.’ He was also consulted during the making of the Netflix series, ‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103.’ He met with actor Eddie Marsan, who found him to be “a fascinating man.” The ‘Fair Play‘ actor described the former FBI agent as “a great puzzle solver” who “loved his job.” As for his personal life, Thurman prefers to keep it out of the spotlight and enjoys time with his family and friends in private.
Read More: Steven Flannigan: How did the Lockerbie Resident Die?
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