The second, more powerful explosion, designed to sink the boat, caused a huge inrush of seawater that drowned Pereira.
On the twentieth anniversary of the sinking, it was revealed that the French president François Mitterrand had personally authorized the bombing.
[1] Admiral Pierre Lacoste made a statement saying Pereira's death weighed heavily on his conscience.
Also on that anniversary, Television New Zealand sought to access a video record made at the preliminary hearing where the two agents pleaded guilty.
The footage has remained sealed on the court record since shortly after the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.