The campaigning father of a woman killed in the Lockerbie bombing has called on the Lord Advocate to publish the evidence that links two newly-identified Libyan suspects and the terrorist attack.

Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the disaster, said that legal authorities had to explain if men were being sought were connected to Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, the only man convicted of the atrocity, because many Scots "simply don't believe" that he was involved.

It emerged that Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland had requested the Libyan Attorney General's help in identifying the suspects with the intention to interview them and had recently met US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to review the progress of the ongoing investigation, which is a joint one between US and Scottish prosecutors, the Police Service of Scotland and the FBI.

But Dr Swire said that it would be a mistake to "bolt" fresh suspects onto the existing case, as he believes Megrahi's conviction was a miscarriage of justice.

Dr Swire said: "I think there is a need for evidence to be made available as to why these two are suspects.

"We have recently been refused permission in Scotland to have to have a further appeal held into Megrahi's conviction, and many in this country simply don't believe Megrahi was involved and that this was a miscarriage of justice.

"To try and bolt two more names on top of that is a very difficult situation. It will need to be supported by better evidence than was produced to achieve the conviction of Megrahi."

The two men are thought to be among a group of Libyans who were initially suspected were involved with bombing of Pam Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people in December 1988.

Neither has been named by the Crown Office, but John Ashton, a former member of Megrahi's defence team, said that it was likely they were Abu Agila Mas'ud, who was named as the bomb-maker in a recent US documentary, and former Libyan head of intelligence Abdullah al'Senusisi.

Both men are currently behind bars in Libya, with al'Senusisi - Mohammad Gaddafi's brother-in-law - sentenced to death.

Mas'ud was named in the original indictment in 1991, and was also named in the indictment for La Belle bombing in Germany, prompting US air raids on Libya.

Mr Ashton, who wrote Megrahi's official biography, said he welcomed the decision to pursue fresh suspects as the case needed to be "properly reopened".

He said: "I hope very much that the two suspects can be put on trial because we do need this case properly reopening and that would be a vehicle for doing it.

"I would welcome the trial, but I think the prospects of a conviction are minimal. The security situation in Libya is dire and is unlikely to improve for the foreseeable future.

"That being the case, it's going to be very difficult for the crown to get out there and interview witnesses."

A Crown Office spokesman said: "The Lord Advocate and the US Attorney General have recently agreed that there is a proper basis in law in Scotland and the United States to entitle Scottish and US investigators to treat two Libyans as suspects in the continuing investigation into the bombing of flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.

"The Lord Advocate has issued an International Letter of Request to the Libyan Attorney General in Tripoli which identifies the two Libyans as suspects in the bombing of flight Pan Am 103.

"The Lord Advocate and the US Attorney General are seeking the assistance of the Libyan judicial authorities for Scottish police officers and the FBI to interview the two named suspects in Tripoli."