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| French Alps murders: DNA found on car belonging to Al-Hilli family broadens investigation | French Alps murders: DNA found on car belonging to Al-Hilli family broadens investigation |
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| Two unidentified traces of DNA have been detected on the car belonging to the Al-Hilli family, whose brutal killing in the French Alps remains unsolved after more than three years. | Two unidentified traces of DNA have been detected on the car belonging to the Al-Hilli family, whose brutal killing in the French Alps remains unsolved after more than three years. |
| Investigators – in a final throw of the dice – have also begun an international search for the last recorded owners of the 56,000 guns of the type used in the quadruple murders in September 2012. | Investigators – in a final throw of the dice – have also begun an international search for the last recorded owners of the 56,000 guns of the type used in the quadruple murders in September 2012. |
| “It’s a colossal task but necessary,” said the Annecy prosecutor, Eric Maillaud, who is spokesman for the inquiry. “We never give up. We remain confident,” Mr Maillaud told the newspaper, Le Parisien. “When you kill, you always end up talking to someone about it.” The number of gendarmerie detectives committed to the investigation has been shrunk from 80 to “around 20” but the two examining magistrates in charge refuse to declare the “Chevaline murders” to be a cold case. | “It’s a colossal task but necessary,” said the Annecy prosecutor, Eric Maillaud, who is spokesman for the inquiry. “We never give up. We remain confident,” Mr Maillaud told the newspaper, Le Parisien. “When you kill, you always end up talking to someone about it.” The number of gendarmerie detectives committed to the investigation has been shrunk from 80 to “around 20” but the two examining magistrates in charge refuse to declare the “Chevaline murders” to be a cold case. |
| The two traces of DNA found recently in a further forensic search of the Al-Hilli car may offer a new line of inquiry or they may prove to be another cul-de-sac. The traces, one found on the front bumper and another under the driver’s floor mat, match none of the victims and nobody on the European criminal data base. | The two traces of DNA found recently in a further forensic search of the Al-Hilli car may offer a new line of inquiry or they may prove to be another cul-de-sac. The traces, one found on the front bumper and another under the driver’s floor mat, match none of the victims and nobody on the European criminal data base. |
| On 5 September 2012, Saad a-Hilli, 50, a British-Iraqi satellite engineer, his wife Iqbal, 47, a dentist, and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were found shot in the head in the family BMW estate two miles from the village of Chevaline above Lake Annecy. The body of a local cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, 45, lay nearby. Zainab al-Hilli, 7, was found at the scene with head and shoulder injuries. Her sister, Zeena, 4, was found unharmed after hiding beneath her dead mother’s legs in the back of the car for eight hours. | On 5 September 2012, Saad a-Hilli, 50, a British-Iraqi satellite engineer, his wife Iqbal, 47, a dentist, and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were found shot in the head in the family BMW estate two miles from the village of Chevaline above Lake Annecy. The body of a local cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, 45, lay nearby. Zainab al-Hilli, 7, was found at the scene with head and shoulder injuries. Her sister, Zeena, 4, was found unharmed after hiding beneath her dead mother’s legs in the back of the car for eight hours. |
| Lines of official investigation have included a family quarrel over the al-Hilli family inheritance; industrial espionage; an unprovoked attack by a lone psychopath; and an assault on the French cyclist which went wrong. | Lines of official investigation have included a family quarrel over the al-Hilli family inheritance; industrial espionage; an unprovoked attack by a lone psychopath; and an assault on the French cyclist which went wrong. |
| Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, | Vatican Gendarme adjusts his cloak as Pope Francis celebrates the holy Mass for the families in St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, |
| A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes | A man walks near a building on fire following a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held region of Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Syria's nearly five-year war has left more than 250,000 dead and forced some 12 million people from their homes |
| A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities | A local dressed up in the traditional "caretos" costume poses during a winter mascarade in the northern Portuguese parish of Parada de Grijo, some 20 km from Braganca, during the Sao Estebao festivities |
| An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." | An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man gestures the v-sign for victory from behind police tape at the site of a reported attack by a Palestinian assailant near Jerusalem's Old City. "Police officers spotted a man who aroused their suspicions and approached him to check," a police spokeswoman said. "The terrorist pulled out a knife and tried to stab the policeman and was quickly killed by police gunfire." |
| Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan | Children queue to receive food and toys during a distribution by members of the Youth Movement for the Future of Ivory Coast (REJACI) in a poor neighbourhood in the suburb of Cocody, in Abidjan |
| Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. | Maxi yacht Comanche powers through heavy swells outside Sydney's harbour during the 71st Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, Australia's premiere bluewater classic race. |
| Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. | Fire photographer Tod Sudmeier gets hit with flying embers from strong winds at the Solimar brush fire that started early Saturday morning in Ventura County, California. A wildfire in Southern California burned over 1,000 acres of land, forced the closure of parts of two major highways and led to evacuations on Saturday, fire officials said. |
| Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India | Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India |
| Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican | Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican |
| Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, | Winter swimmers (L) look on as a man (R) wearing a Santa Claus hat and beard jumps into a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River, to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, |
| Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. | Fruits are displayed for sale at a market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam saw record low inflation of 0.63 percent in 2015 but the rate could rise to 5 percent next year on anticipated increases in electricity, education and healthcare prices, the government said on Thursday. The inflation average was the lowest since Vietnam started calculating it in 2006, which the General Statistics Office (GSO) attributed to falling oil prices globally. |
| The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 | The child of Kurdish migrants stands outside a tent at the Grande Synthe migrant camp near Dunkerque in northern France. More than 2,000 migrants, mostly Iraqis and Kurds, live in the camp. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said this week more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014 |
| A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris | A diver dressed as Santa Claus greets children during a show before Christmas at the Aquarium of Paris |
| Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. | Expedition 46 Flight Engineer Tim Kopra on a spacewalk, in which Kopra and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly successfully moved the International Space Station's mobile transporter rail car ahead of Wednesday's docking of a Russian cargo supply spacecraft. |
| Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. | Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. |
| Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, | Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, |
| The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. | The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. |
| Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow | Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow |
| AFP/Getty | AFP/Getty |
| Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. | Rescuers look for survivors after a landslide hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province. A massive landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried 22 buildings and left 22 people missing, state media reported, as more than 1,500 emergency workers searched the scene. |
| Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain | Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon | A man prepares decorations ahead of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed in Sidon, south Lebanon |
| Reuters | Reuters |
| US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. | US Press Secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the press in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC, with Star Wars characters R2D2 and Storm Troopers. The new Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" was shown at the White House for children of military families. |
| AFP | AFP |
| A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany | A couple carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree at a plantation in Negenborn, Germany |
| Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha | Paratroopers from the Qatari armed forces take part in Qatar's National Day celebrations in Doha |
| Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said | Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik gives the final touches to his sand sculpture of Mother Teresa at steel city Rourkela in Sundargarh district, in the north-west tip of Orissa state. Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the nun to be elevated to sainthood next year, the Vatican said |
| A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince | A Haitian journalist covering demonstrators marching to the Ballot Tabulation Center in Sonapi, to protest against the Provisional Electoral Council, the election results and also to request an independent commission to review the election outcome, is overcome by tear gas fired by police in Port-au-Prince |
| Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan | Bangladeshi children attend a rally during the Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh marks its 44th Victory Day across the country remembering the country's war heroes. Bangladesh became a free nation on 16 December 1971 after a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan |
| Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather | Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather |
| Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China | Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China |
| A villager walks outside her house as Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials into the air, in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level of the volcano to the second highest as its activity increased earlier this month | A villager walks outside her house as Mount Bromo spews volcanic materials into the air, in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesian authorities have raised the alert level of the volcano to the second highest as its activity increased earlier this month |
| Labourers pull a pontoon to construct a temporary bridge for the Magh Mela festival on the river Ganges in Allahabad, India. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges | Labourers pull a pontoon to construct a temporary bridge for the Magh Mela festival on the river Ganges in Allahabad, India. The festival is an annual religious event held during the Hindu month of Magh, when thousands of Hindu devotees take a holy dip in the waters of the Ganges |
| In the absence of official progress, more lurid theories have bred, and inter-bred, on the internet and in the media. The killings have variously been ascribed to the SAS, the CIA, Israeli intelligence, Iraqi agents and Saddam Hussein loyalists. There has also been speculation recently about a possible connection with Ms Al-Hilli’s American first husband who – by coincidence – died of a heart attack on the same day. | In the absence of official progress, more lurid theories have bred, and inter-bred, on the internet and in the media. The killings have variously been ascribed to the SAS, the CIA, Israeli intelligence, Iraqi agents and Saddam Hussein loyalists. There has also been speculation recently about a possible connection with Ms Al-Hilli’s American first husband who – by coincidence – died of a heart attack on the same day. |
| Most of these theories founder on the facts of what happened in a lay-by at the end of a winding forest road on a September afternoon almost 40 months ago. | Most of these theories founder on the facts of what happened in a lay-by at the end of a winding forest road on a September afternoon almost 40 months ago. |
| Investigators know from clues at the scene that the lone killer was already near the lay-by when the Al-Hilli family arrived after a seemingly random drive from their campsite beside lake Annecy 12km away. The local man, Mr Mollier, was also on a random ride, on a route that he had never taken before. | Investigators know from clues at the scene that the lone killer was already near the lay-by when the Al-Hilli family arrived after a seemingly random drive from their campsite beside lake Annecy 12km away. The local man, Mr Mollier, was also on a random ride, on a route that he had never taken before. |
| Eyewitness accounts suggest that neither car nor bicycle was being followed. The killer fired a first volley of shots at the cyclist and at Mr Al-Hilli and his elder daughter, just after they stepped from the car. Mr Al-Hilli, already wounded, jumped into the wine-coloured BMW estate to try to escape but reversed the vehicle into the soft earth of the forest side. As the car span its wheels, the gunman calmly shot the three adults aboard in the head. He also shot Mr Mollier again several times. | Eyewitness accounts suggest that neither car nor bicycle was being followed. The killer fired a first volley of shots at the cyclist and at Mr Al-Hilli and his elder daughter, just after they stepped from the car. Mr Al-Hilli, already wounded, jumped into the wine-coloured BMW estate to try to escape but reversed the vehicle into the soft earth of the forest side. As the car span its wheels, the gunman calmly shot the three adults aboard in the head. He also shot Mr Mollier again several times. |
| His gun then appears to have jammed. He left seven-year-old Zainab al-Hilli for dead after hitting her over the head with the gun handle. | His gun then appears to have jammed. He left seven-year-old Zainab al-Hilli for dead after hitting her over the head with the gun handle. |
| The gun used was an unlikely weapon for a targeted killing. It has been identified, from fragments of the handle found at the scene, as a 7. 65mm Luger P06, manufactured between 1909 and 1947. | The gun used was an unlikely weapon for a targeted killing. It has been identified, from fragments of the handle found at the scene, as a 7. 65mm Luger P06, manufactured between 1909 and 1947. |
| This type of gun was widely issued to Swiss army reservists and police in the 1920s and 1930s. | This type of gun was widely issued to Swiss army reservists and police in the 1920s and 1930s. |
| The international search now launched by French investigators amounts to looking for a needle in haystack. They want to trace the last known owner of all the 56,028 guns of this type that were made by the Waffenfabrik in Berne, Switzerland. | The international search now launched by French investigators amounts to looking for a needle in haystack. They want to trace the last known owner of all the 56,028 guns of this type that were made by the Waffenfabrik in Berne, Switzerland. |
| A similar request was made to the Swiss authorities two years ago with little result. | A similar request was made to the Swiss authorities two years ago with little result. |
| The investigating magistrates have now repeated the request and widened it to other countries. | The investigating magistrates have now repeated the request and widened it to other countries. |