In a news conference just before 8amET French prosecutors revealed that the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 was a “voluntary, deliberate” act of mass murder. Prosecutors are pointing the finger at the co-pilot, 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz.
“This was voluntary, deliberate,” according to a translation of the news conference on MSNBC. “He refused to open the cabin door in order to let the pilot back in. I’ll repeat, he refused to let the pilot back in.”
The brodcast networks produced special reports with the new details, during their morning shows in some parts of the country. CNN extended “New Day” coverage until about 9:15amET when Anderson Cooper began anchoring coverage on CNN.
FNC, CNN and MSNBC carried this news conference as well as a brief newser with the German Transport Minister who agreed with the French findings.
CNN’s Karl Penhaul, covering the news conference in Marseilles, speculated that the prosecutor “had to come clean with the media after press leaks suggested part of this information overnight.”
“Nevertheless,” Penhaul added, “many journalists were left open-mouthed and shaking their heads” at the news.
“The victims only became aware of what was going on at the very last moment,” said the French prosecutor. “On the tape, the sound that we’re hearing, the screams are only in the very last moments before impact. So we can conclude that in all circumstances, it’s deliberate.”