The pastor of the Lutheran church in Andreas Lubitz’s hometown said on Sunday that the community stands by him and his family, despite the fact that prosecutors blame the 27-year-old copilot for causing the plane crash that killed 150 people in southern France.
The town of Montabaur has been rattled by the revelation that Lubitz, who first learned to fly at a nearby glider club, may have intentionally caused last Tuesday’s crash of Germanwings Flight 9525.
“For us, it makes it particularly difficult that the only victim from Montabaur is suspected to have caused this tragedy, this crash — although this has not been finally confirmed, but a lot is indicating that — and we have to face this,” pastor Michael Dietrich said.
He spoke after holding a church service on Sunday to commemorate the crash victims and support their families.
“The copilot, the family belong to our community and we stand by this, and we embrace them and will not hide this, and want to support the family in particular,” Dietrich said.
He added that there had been no direct contact with the family, but that he believes they are receiving good assistance.
French prosecutors have not questioned the family yet “out of decency and respect for their pain,” Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said.
Authorities are trying to understand what made Lubitz lock his fellow pilot out of the cockpit and ignore his pleas to open the door, before slamming the plane into a mountain on what should have been a routine flight from Barcelona, Spain, to Duesseldorf, Germany.
French officials refused to confirm or deny a partial transcript that German newspaper Bild am Sontag said it had obtained of the cockpit recording.
The newspaper reported on Sunday that the pilot left for the toilet shortly before 10:30am and was heard trying unsuccessfully to get back into the cockpit again a few minutes later, then shouting: “For God’s sake, open the door.”
After several more minutes in which the pilot could be heard trying to break open the door, the plane crashed into the mountainside, according to Bild am Sonntag, which did not say how it obtained the report.
Brice said that none of the bodies recovered so far have been identified, denying German media reports that Lubitz’s body had been found.
Tests on the body of the copilot may provide clues on any medical treatment he was receiving. Germany prosecutors said on Friday last week that Lubitz was hiding an illness and sick notes for the day of the crash from his employer.
Dietrich said he knew Lubitz as a teenager, when he attended religious education classes 13 years ago, and his mother, who worked as a part-time organist in the community.
“When I worked with her or talked to her, it was very good and very harmonious. We had good conversations,” Dietrich said. “I know her and her family. This does not make sense. It is incomprehensible for me, for us, for everyone who knew her and the family.”
“From what I’ve heard, there were no obvious signs that there is anything in the background that could lead to this,” he added.
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