The profile that has emerged of Germanwings co-pilot Andreas lubitz has become more troubling by the day. In the hours after Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps two weeks ago, lubitz was regarded as one of 150 victims in an unexplained disaster. Two days later he was the prime suspect of an unfathomable act.
By now, French and German prosecutors have little doubt that the 27-year-old intentionally slammed the Airbus A320 into a mountain, killing everyone on board, and there is growing evidence that his actions weren’t just the result of a split-second decision but of days of planning.
The revelations have raised questions about who knew what, when, and whether he could have been stopped, and have prompted particular soul-searching in Germany. Seventy-two of those killed onboard the flight, travelling from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, were German citizens.
Investigators have pieced together the picture of lubitz by analysing the voice and flight data recorders found at the crash site, searching his homes in Duesseldorf and Montabaur, and by interviewing friends, relatives and colleagues.