Germanwings killer co-pilot was 'treated for suicidal tendencies'
THE co-pilot of the Germanwings flight which crashed into the Alps had been treated for suicidal tendencies, it is claimed.
German prosecutors said today Andreas Lubitz - who is accused of murdering the passengers and crew on flight 4U9525 - was treated for suicidal tendencies years ago but not recently.
Speaking at a press conference, spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck, said they had not found any indication of a motive so far, or any physical illness.
Meanwhile body parts thought to belong to the co-pilot have been found after French investigators confirmed they found traces of his body among the debris after 150 people aboard the Airbus A320 died when the plane plummeted into the mountains.
Professor Michael Tsokos, the investigation's chief forensic scientist, told German newspaper Bild that Lubitz's body was among more than 600 body parts scattered across the valley.
Families of the dead passengers are understood to have been asked to help speed up the identification process by providing DNA samples.
So far forensic investigators have identified 78 separate DNA strands from body parts at the crash site.
A video released today of the 28-year-old co-pilot shows him whooping with delight as he takes off and flies over a German town in a glider ten years ago.
The co-pilot is believed to have been around 17 years old when the footage, obtained by ITV News, was taken.
Lubitz started his commercial pilot's training at age 20, in 2007.
Following the flight 4U9525 tragedy, investigators found several torn-up sick notes at Lubtiz's home, including one from the day of the crash last Tuesday.
French prosecutor Brice Robin claimed Lubitz hid his depression from employers Lufthansa, the German aviation heavyweight who owns budget airline Germanwings.
During his training, Lubitz took a six-month medical break but returned to later become a qualified pilot at Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, in 2013, amassing more than 600 flight hours.
Germanwings co pilot Andreas Lubitz as a trainee pilot
A transcript from the black box voice recorder recovered from the crash site revealed Captain Patrick Sondheimer was screaming at Lubitz moments before flight 4U9524's final 430mph descent.
Captain Sondheimer was reportedly heard pleading with his co-pilot to unlock the cockpit door, before taking a crowbar to it in a desperate attempt to stop the plane crashing.
Lubitz remains quiet the entire time with his breathing steady.
A Lufthansa manager today said he is doubtful the second black box data recorder will ever be found.
Kay Kratky told an ARD talk show: "It could be that the impact was too much and it is not sending any signals."
French officlals refused to confirm the disaster was intentionally caused by Lubitz.
Prosecutor Robin added: "The co-pilot is alone at the controls.
"He voluntarily refused to open the door of the cockpit to the pilot and voluntarily began the descent of the plane."
It has also been revealed the co-pilot learned just two weeks before the murder-suicide he was to become a father, German press has claimed.
Bild newspaper reported that Lubitz had a "serious relationship crisis" with his girlfriend Kathrin Goldbach before the crash while a former girlfriend, air stewardess Maria W, 26, claimed he feared his illness would prevent him fulfilling his lifelong ambition of becoming a long-haul pilot with Lufthansa.
Yesterday it also emerged Lubitz may have been suffering from a detached retina, which he was worried would end his flying career.
The pastor in Montabaur, the town where Lubitz grew up and where his parents still live, has said the town is standing behind his parents.
Bernard Bartolini, the mayor of Prads-Haute-Bléone, a small town near the crash site, met Lubitz's father when they visited the site and attended a memorial ceremony on Thursday.
He told BFM news channel: "His father is a man whose life has broken down.
"He is a man whose life is in ruins.
"I felt incredibly sorry for him as he expressed all his emotion because he has lost a loved one, but also because his son is perhaps the cause of all this tragedy."
