Co-Pilot 'Hid Sick Note On Day Of Alps Crash'

Boko Haram 'Capital' Retaken By The Military

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 00.48

The northeast Nigerian town that Boko Haram declared their headquarters has been retaken by government forces, the country's military said.

Gwoza in Borno state was initially seized by the Islamist group in July 2014, causing some 3,000 residents to flee the fighting.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau declared in August last year that Gwoza was "part of the Islamic caliphate," suggesting the group were imitating the Islamic State group.

But the government claims to have taken control of the town again following what Nigeria's national security spokesman Mike Omeri said was the "final onslaught" against Boko Haram.

Nigeria's defence department in Abuja said in a statement on Twitter: "Troops this morning captured Gwoza destroying the headquarters of the terrorist's self-styled Caliphate.

"Several terrorists died while many are captured. Mopping up of entire Gwoza and her suburbs is ongoing," it added.

Two weeks ago Boko Haram members had gathered en masse in the town in preparation for an expected showdown with international forces.

The group had urged civilians to leave the area to avoid being killed in crossfire during the anticipated battle, and the hostilities put a stop to national elections due to be held in February.

If confirmed, the retaking of Gwoza will be a major coup for the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election in ballots that will now be held on Saturday.

In a televised broadcast, the President hailed troops for having "successfully stemmed the seizure of Nigerian territories".

"I heartily commend the very courageous men and women of our Armed Forces for the immense sacrifices which they continue to make in defending the nation and protecting its citizens," he said.

Safety has come at a heavy price for tens of thousands of Nigerians who have fled the insurgency and are sheltering in neighbouring Cameroon.

After Gwoza was recaptured, one man who said he was forced to join the militants, claimed the Boko Haram leader personally ordered women to be killed in the town.

"On Sunday March 15, Shekau assembled his men including us, the new recruits, and addressed us. He said they should go back to Gwoza and kill all of their women they left behind," Usman Ali said.

"He said if they didn't kill them they would not join them in paradise. They took us along to Gwoza where we witnessed the carnage."

A four-nation coalition of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon has claimed a number of successes since the turn of the year to end the fighting which has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2009.

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Daughter: Siblings In Freezer Killed By Mum

By Sky News US Team

A Detroit mother killed two of her children and ordered her daughter to entomb one victim in a freezer on top of the other body, says a court filing.

Mitchelle Blair, 35, appeared in court on Thursday, two days after nine-year-old son Stephen Berry and daughter Stoni Blair, 13, were discovered dead.

"The charges in this matter are so heinous," said magistrate Renee McDuffe, as she set bail at $1m.

Documents filed in Wayne County Juvenile Court allege the children suffered years of horrific abuse.

For the past two years, the two other children, an eight-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl, lived at the low-rent apartment on the city's east side next to their siblings' bodies.

The 17-year-old has told investigators she and her surviving brother were regularly beaten with an extension cord and plank and burned with irons.

The documents say: "Blair tortured Stephen for approximately two weeks prior to his death by tying a belt around his neck, throwing hot water on him while in the shower and putting a plastic bag over his head."

After Stephen's death in August 2012, Blair allegedly wrapped his body in a bed sheet and put him in the freezer.

Nine months later, Blair became "enraged" when Stoni said she did not like her surviving siblings, according to the court documents.

She allegedly strangled the girl with a T-shirt and suffocated her with a black rubbish bag.

Blair then made the teenager place her sister's body in the deep freezer, say investigators.

The picture painted in the court filing belies the doting maternal image Blair projected on Facebook.

She posted a picture with the message: "There is no greater blessing than being called Mom."

The teenager said neither she nor her siblings had attended school for years.

Authorities investigated allegations of abuse in 2002 and 2005, but Blair was allowed to keep custody of the children and referred to counselling.

The state says the two fathers of Blair's surviving children are unfit to care for them.

Blair is charged with child abuse, but she may face murder charges once the bodies are thawed out enough for post-mortem examinations to be performed on Friday, prosecutors said.

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Suicide Plane Crash 'Difficult To Predict'

No amount of personality tests could necessarily have prevented co-pilot Andreas Lubitz from crashing a passenger plane in the French Alps, an expert has told Sky News.

Such "incredibly rare" events could not always be predicted, said aviation psychologist Professor Robert Bor.

He suggested in the Lubitz case, the 27-year-old's problems had gone "below the radar" and he was able to conceal his mental illness.

And this appears to be borne out following the revelation by German prosecutors that Lubitz had a sick note for the day of the crash, in which 150 died.

This was found torn-up along with medical documents during searches of Lubitz's flat in Dusseldorf and the home he shared with his parents in the town of Montabaur.

:: Click here for live updates of the Alps plane crash investigation

While it was not routine for pilots to undertake regular psychometric testing, Prof Bor said: "When we are looking at incredibly rare events such as this no amount of that kind of scrutiny will necessarily pick up every single person who is at risk or susceptible."

He also cautioned that tighter rules and tougher tests likely to be introduced in the wake of the disaster, will not necessarily improve safety.

"It will probably improve our sense of safety," he said.

"With very rare events we can't always predict them with 100% accuracy."

Prof Bor told Sky News: "It's incredibly rare and in fact the number of cases in the last 25 years involving commercial jets is probably no more than half a dozen."

The fact he took time off with depression while in pilot training back in 2009 did not necessarily indicate his future behaviour, he added.

"Many people in the general population, pilots as well, occasionally are going to have periods of low moods and anxiety and this may be temporary it may not be something that is lasting," Prof Bor said.

"On the other hand all of us can change.

"Within a matter of days, weeks, there could be a bad trigger event in our life."

A relationship break-up or a dispute at work may "have just tipped him over and turned somebody who might have a depressive illness into somebody who was very despairing and very angry".

"Because that's usually what can lead to or trigger a suicidal act in an individual," he said.

Prof Bor said: "Pilots as an occupational group are very closely scrutinised really from the time they enter flight school to really the last flight that they are on.

"At any moment they are being closely observed, their actions, their behaviour, their communication patterns and so on are being monitored in some kind of way.

"On top of that they undergo rigorous medical tests at least once a year, sometimes twice a year depending on the kind of aircraft they are flying.

"And of course each time they are flying they are being watched by their co-pilots, by the dispatcher when they leave the stand.

"And they are also subject to random drug and alcohol testing as well.

"So the chances of these sort of things happening are very rare.

"And one can only think in this particular case his problem went literally below the radar. He was able to conceal it in some kind of way.

"Unless it was, as we might come to discover, apparent to the airline that he was having some kind of difficulties but for whatever reason they were not implementing the standard cut-offs which are when pilots have significant psychological stress they definitely shouldn't be flying."

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Andreas Lubitz: Profile Of Killer Co-Pilot

The co-pilot who deliberately crashed a plane in the French Alps with the loss of 150 lives had a history of depression, it has been reported.

The focus on Andreas Lubitz's mental health comes after a French prosecutor concluded the 27-year-old had deliberately flown the Germanwings Airbus 320 into the mountainside killing all those on board.

German prosecutors have said there are indications the co-pilot concealed an illness from his employer, hiding a sick note for the day of the crash.

However, they did not specify the nature of the illness.

Matthias Gebauer, chief correspondent for the online edition of German newspaper Der Spiegel, tweeted: "Schoolmates of co-pilot who crashed tell German reporters he took six-months break from flight training in 2009 due to burnout-syndrome."

The head of Lufthansa, the budget airline's parent company, has already admitted Lubitz had taken the lengthy break from training.

While chief executive Carsten Spohr did not give a reason for this interruption, German media reported he was suffering from "burnout or depression".

:: Click here for live updates of the Alps plane crash investigation

Mr Spohr said: "I cannot tell you anything about the reasons of this interruption, but anybody who interrupts the training has to do a lot of tests so the competence and fitness would be checked again."

According to Lufthansa, Germanwings pilots undergo medical tests once a year.

However, they are only required to undergo psychological tests once, before they are accepted as pilots.

Lubitz also underwent a regular security check on 27 January and nothing untoward was found, the local government in Dusseldorf said.

Previous security checks in 2008 and 2010 also revealed no problems.

Lubitz had grown up dreaming of becoming a pilot, gaining his glider's licence after training with LSC Westerwald flying club in his hometown of Montabaur.

Club member Peter Ruecker recalled Mr Lubitz as "rather quiet but friendly" when he first joined the club as a teenager.

He added: "He was happy he had the job with Germanwings and he was doing well."

Lubitz had been employed as a flight attendant before training to be a pilot at the Lufthansa flight school in Bremen.

He also underwent training in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lubitz joined Germanwings in 2013 and had clocked up 630 flying hours before the disaster.

Lufthansa said he passed all the relevant examinations necessary to become a pilot and was deemed "100% airworthy".

Mr Lubitz had also been included by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on its database to show he had met or exceeded its pilot certification standards, which aim to "reduce pilot errors that lead to fatal crashes".

In Montabaur where Lubitz lived with his parents, neighbours reacted with disbelief when they heard of his involvement.

One man, who did not want to be named, said that he had known the pilot since childhood.

He told Sky News: "I cannot imagine that he has done it with intention.

"This does not fit in this picture I have of him. It is a very upright family, very helpful and I cannot understand what has happened.

"I knew the children when they were small boys."

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Lubitz, who also had a flat in Dusseldorf, had never been flagged as a terrorist.

And when pressed over Mr Lubitz's religion, he said: "I don't think this is where this lies. I don't think we will get any answers there."

Although rare, there have been previous instances of suspected pilot suicide.

The most infamous likely - but still disputed - cases of pilot suicide was the 1997 Silk Air crash in Indonesia, in which 104 people died.

A US-led investigation concluded it had been caused deliberately, probably by the captain who had serious personal problems.

A Mozambique Airlines plane crash that killed 33 people in Namibia in 2013 is also believed to have been a case of pilot suicide.

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Co-Pilot 'Hid Sick Note On Day Of Alps Crash'

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Prosecutors investigating the Germanwings plane crash have said there were indications the co-pilot hid his illness from his employers.

Andreas Lubitz has been accused of deliberately flying the aircraft into a mountainside in the French Alps shortly after preventing the captain from re-entering the cockpit.

All 150 people on board the aircraft died in Tuesday's crash. Police said 400-600 pieces of human remains have been retrieved from the site but no bodies were intact.

Prosecutors said Lubitz had a sick note for the day the Airbus A320 crashed during Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf but never told the airline.

The sick note, which would have prevented him from flying, was among several found torn-up during searches of his flat in Dusseldorf and the home he shared with his parents in the town of Montabaur.

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Gallery: The Victims Of The Germanwings Crash

American Emily Selke, a recent graduate, was on the plane with her mother Yvonne. Raymond Selke has described his wife and daughter as 'amazing people'. Pic: Facebook

Iranian sports journalist Hussein Javadi was on his way to Austria to cover a football match. A friend said he was 'a kind, loving, caring man'. Pic: Maysam Bizær/Hossein Javadi

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Argentinian Sebastian Greco was on board with his girlfriend. Pic: Facebook

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Argentinian Gabriela Maumus, 28, was the daughter of a firefighter. Pic: Facebook

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Spanish victim Carles Milla Masanas, 37. The businessman was on his way to a food industry fayre. Pic: Facebook

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The prosecutors added that documents showed the 27-year-old had an "existing illness" and was receiving medical treatment, but that no suicide note or claim of responsibility for the crash was found.

Dusseldorf University clinic said he went to the facility in February and March, most recently on March 10, for diagnosis but denied he was treated there for depression.

Prosecutors said: "Documents with medical contents were confiscated that point towards an existing illness and corresponding treatment by doctors.

"The fact there are sick notes saying he was unable to work, among other things, that were found torn up, which were recent and even from the day of the crime, support the assumption based on the preliminary examination that the deceased hid his illness from his employer and his professional colleagues."

No evidence of a political or religious motivation behind the tragedy was found and Germanwings said no sick note was received from Lubitz for the day of the crash.

German media has reported he received treatment for a "serious depressive episode" six years ago during his training to become a pilot.

Lufthansa, parent company of Germanwings, said it was aware he had broken off his training in 2009, but said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was a risk.

The company, which also owns Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air, announced it was introducing new cockpit manning levels on Friday. It said: "Under the new procedure, two authorised persons must be present in the cockpit at all times during a flight."

This came as the European Aviation Safety Agency recommended all airlines make sure two crew, including at least one pilot, were always on the flight deck.

Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said on Thursday: "After he was cleared again, he resumed training. He passed all the subsequent tests and checks with flying colours. His flying abilities were flawless."

Germanwings said it was setting up a family assistance centre in Marseille for relatives of those killed in the crash.

Spokesman Thomas Winkelmann said in a statement that "in these dark hours our full attention belongs to the emotional support of the relatives and friends of the victims of Flight 9525."

Some 75 German people were on board the aircraft. At least 50 Spanish citizens were also on the flight, along with three Britons.

A memorial service is being held in Dusseldorf for the German victims of the crash.

Police and rescue workers are still hunting for the aircraft's second black box on the fourth day of recovery operations at the scene of the crash.

The second black box contains technical flight data.

:: Watch a special report on the plane crash at 6.30pm on Friday on Sky News. Or you can watch it on catch up or any of the Sky News apps.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Maret 2015 | 00.27

By Sky News US Team

An explosive device rigged to a light switch has been defused by a bomb squad at a home occupied by tenants until a week ago in a Boston suburb.

The homeowner, his lawyer and an electrician were preparing the home in Milton for sale after the renters moved out when they noticed the wiring.

Police explosives specialists sealed off the street on Tuesday as they disarmed the device in an operation that took several hours.

The bomb was a gallon plastic container full of accelerant, hidden behind a recently plastered section of wall in the closet of an upstairs bedroom and wired throughout the house.

Police Chief Richard Wells told reporters on Tuesday: "By what we believe was the intent of the design of this device, it was definitely intended to do some significant destruction."

The drains of the house, on Craig Street, were also found to have been blocked with cement.

Lindel Williams, who owns the property, told the Boston Globe: "I just can't believe someone would really do this."

Investigators told reporters a husband, wife and daughter who had been renting the home since last June moved out at the weekend.

Neighbours said the home had previously been vandalised with red paint in between renters.

No arrests have yet been made.

00.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Germanwings Air Crash: Three Britons Killed

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At least three Britons were among the 150 people killed when a passenger jet crashed in the French Alps, the Prime Minister has confirmed.

One of the British victims is 50-year-old Martyn Matthews, a senior quality manager from Wolverhampton.

The father-of-two grown-up children is thought to have been travelling to Germany for a business meeting.

His family have said they are "devastated at the news of this tragic incident".

Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull who was studying hospitality in Lucerne, was also a passenger on the fateful flight.

His mother Carol said: "Paul was a kind, caring and loving son. He was the best son, he was my world."

Seven-month-old baby Julian Pracz-Bandres from Manchester was also killed alongside his mother Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37, originally from Spain.

Her husband Pawel Pracz said he was "devastated".

Mr Pracz said his wife had been in Spain for a funeral and had only bought tickets "at the last moment".

Speaking at the last Prime Minister's Questions before the General Election, David Cameron offered his "deepest condolences" to the families of those who died in the disaster, and said the UK stood ready to offer any assistance it could.

He told the Commons: "It is heart-breaking to hear about the schoolchildren, the babies, the families whose lives have been brought to an end.

"The Foreign Office is working urgently to establish whether any further British nationals were among those on board."

Mr Cameron was speaking as recovery teams resumed their search at the crash site in hazardous terrain.

Overnight rain and snow has made the rocky ravine slippery, increasing problems in reaching the area.

Investigators are also examining the black box cockpit voice recorder of the doomed Germanwings aircraft in the hunt for clues as to what caused the Airbus A320 to come down without issuing a mayday message.

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Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

Maria Radner, Oleg Bryjak and Greig and Carol Friday

Martyn Matthews, of Wolverhampton, with his family

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Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby

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Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull

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Eyal Baum, 39, was an Israeli citizen living in Barcelona with his wife. He was among 150 people killed when a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps

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The French authorities said although the black box had been damaged, it was "useable". Recordings from it have now been extracted.

A spokesman for the French air investigation bureau, the BEA, said the black box covered the entire flight.

But he would not say what conversations, if any, between the pilots had been captured on the recording, nor what language they had been conducted in.

The case of the second black box which records technical flight data has been found but without its contents.

Although officials insist no cause has been ruled out, terrorism is not considered likely.

:: Click here for latest updates

The plane was en route from Barcelona in Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, when it came down on Tuesday morning less than an hour into its flight at Meolans-Revels, between Barcelonnette and Digne.

None of the 144 passengers and six crew survived the crash.

One of the main lines of inquiry for investigators will be the aircraft's eight-minute long descent from 38,000ft to 6,800ft, despite being in a mountainous area and without putting out a distress call.

Images of the area show the plane, operated by the Lufthansa-owned budget airline, had completely disintegrated with the fuselage smashed into small pieces, the largest of which is about the size of a small car.

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was flown over the site and called it "a picture of horror".

At a news conference, Germanwings chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said those killed came from at least 13 different countries.

As well as the three Britons they included 72 German nationals, 51 Spaniards, two Australians, two Americans and one Japanese.

Among those on board were 16 children and two teachers from the same school in Haltern Am See in Germany, returning home after an exchange visit.

The headteacher of Joseph Konig school, Ulrich Wessel, said he was "shell-shocked and speechless".

"Our school will never be the same again," he said.

Flags were lowered to half mast across Germany, while silent vigils have been held in both Cologne and Barcelona to remember the dead.

French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain's Mariano Rajoy have made a joint visit to the remote village of Seyne-les-Alpes, where French investigators have set up their search headquarters.

The three leaders thanked search teams and were due to meet families of victims.

Mrs Merkel said: "It's a real tragedy."

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Gallery: Rescue Teams Resume Search After Plane Crash

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (3R) arrives near the crash site of Germanwings Airbus A320 near Seyne-les-Alpes, France

Gendarmerie and French mountain rescue teams fly in a helicopter near the site of the Germanwings plane crash near the French Alps

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She said her thoughts are with the victims' families.

Germanwings said the plane had a normal service at Dusseldorf on Monday and its last major check-up was in the summer of 2013. Experts have said the A320 has a relatively good safety record.

The operator had to cancel a number of flights following the crash with some crews saying they were unable to fly after losing their colleagues.

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