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| French Alps shootings: British cyclist describes scene of murders | French Alps shootings: British cyclist describes scene of murders |
| (21 days later) | |
| The British cyclist who discovered the victims of the French Alps murders has described how he found a little girl "stumbling" around, bleeding and "moaning". | The British cyclist who discovered the victims of the French Alps murders has described how he found a little girl "stumbling" around, bleeding and "moaning". |
| Brett Martin said he initially believed there had been a terrible accident as he surveyed the horrific scene in the secluded car park close to Lake Annecy. | Brett Martin said he initially believed there had been a terrible accident as he surveyed the horrific scene in the secluded car park close to Lake Annecy. |
| The BMW's engine was still revving and its wheels were spinning. Inside were the bodies of the engineer Saad al-Hilli, 50, his dentist wife, Iqbal, 47, and her mother. The couple's four-year-old daughter, Zeena, lay undiscovered under her mother's corpse for eight hours afterwards, while her seven-year-old sister, Zainab, was the girl found outside the car. | The BMW's engine was still revving and its wheels were spinning. Inside were the bodies of the engineer Saad al-Hilli, 50, his dentist wife, Iqbal, 47, and her mother. The couple's four-year-old daughter, Zeena, lay undiscovered under her mother's corpse for eight hours afterwards, while her seven-year-old sister, Zainab, was the girl found outside the car. |
| Martin, from West Sussex, a former RAF and British Airways pilot who is now a pilot instructor, was speaking as French investigators said they believed the key to the motive behind the murders lay in the UK "without doubt". | Martin, from West Sussex, a former RAF and British Airways pilot who is now a pilot instructor, was speaking as French investigators said they believed the key to the motive behind the murders lay in the UK "without doubt". |
| Martin, who was visiting his family's rental property in the area and out on his daily cycle ride, described the scene of carnage, in the Combe d'Ire forest, near Chevaline, as though it was from a Hollywood film. | Martin, who was visiting his family's rental property in the area and out on his daily cycle ride, described the scene of carnage, in the Combe d'Ire forest, near Chevaline, as though it was from a Hollywood film. |
| "There was a lot of blood and heads with bullet holes in them," he said. "It was the sort of thing you would never in your life expect to come across." | "There was a lot of blood and heads with bullet holes in them," he said. "It was the sort of thing you would never in your life expect to come across." |
| "As I approached the scene, the first thing I saw was a bike on its side. I had seen the cyclist ahead of me much earlier so I thought he was just having a rest. | "As I approached the scene, the first thing I saw was a bike on its side. I had seen the cyclist ahead of me much earlier so I thought he was just having a rest. |
| "As I got a little bit closer, a very young child stumbled out on to the road and at first I thought she was actually just playing with her sibling because she sort of looked, from a distance, like she was falling over, larking about like a child would. | "As I got a little bit closer, a very young child stumbled out on to the road and at first I thought she was actually just playing with her sibling because she sort of looked, from a distance, like she was falling over, larking about like a child would. |
| "However, as I approached her it was obvious that she was quite badly injured and there was a lot of blood on her. | "However, as I approached her it was obvious that she was quite badly injured and there was a lot of blood on her. |
| "As I got even closer, I then saw the car with its engine revving and its wheels spinning. It seemed at that moment in time like there had been a terrible car accident." | "As I got even closer, I then saw the car with its engine revving and its wheels spinning. It seemed at that moment in time like there had been a terrible car accident." |
| He went first to the girl, Zainab. "She was prone on the road, moaning, semi-conscious and she was lying in a position that was in front of this car with its wheel spinning. So my immediate thought was she needed to be moved in case the car lurched forward and ran her over. So I gently attended to her and moved her into a position clear of where the vehicle could possibly go, clear of the road, and put her in the recovery position as best I could, and asked her to stay there. And then moved on. | He went first to the girl, Zainab. "She was prone on the road, moaning, semi-conscious and she was lying in a position that was in front of this car with its wheel spinning. So my immediate thought was she needed to be moved in case the car lurched forward and ran her over. So I gently attended to her and moved her into a position clear of where the vehicle could possibly go, clear of the road, and put her in the recovery position as best I could, and asked her to stay there. And then moved on. |
| "She was very severely injured, she was going in and out of consciousness. After a few minutes, she had become unconscious. She had quite a lot of blood and some very obvious head injuries." | "She was very severely injured, she was going in and out of consciousness. After a few minutes, she had become unconscious. She had quite a lot of blood and some very obvious head injuries." |
| At first he believed there had been an accident between a cyclist and the car, because there was a cyclist on the ground more or less in front of the car. "But there were things that didn't quite match, because the cycle wasn't beside him, and he wasn't grazed." | At first he believed there had been an accident between a cyclist and the car, because there was a cyclist on the ground more or less in front of the car. "But there were things that didn't quite match, because the cycle wasn't beside him, and he wasn't grazed." |
| "As the minutes went on I started to change my opinion about whether it was a car accident." | "As the minutes went on I started to change my opinion about whether it was a car accident." |
| There was nothing he could do for those in the car, he said: "What struck me was their complete inanimate nature, which is how I assessed, without breaking into the car and physically handling them, that they were dead." | There was nothing he could do for those in the car, he said: "What struck me was their complete inanimate nature, which is how I assessed, without breaking into the car and physically handling them, that they were dead." |
| He switched off the car engine, then realised he had no mobile signal. He realised he would have to leave Zainab to get help. | He switched off the car engine, then realised he had no mobile signal. He realised he would have to leave Zainab to get help. |
| "It was a dilemma. One choice was to leave her, and another was to take her with me. She was very light, so I could have done a fireman's lift and take her down to my bike. But she had a lot of injuries, and it seemed if there was a risk of internal bleeding, wounds, then dragging her like a rag doll on my shoulder might have perhaps killed her. The prudent decision was to leave her in the recovery position and go for help on my bike as fast as I could." | "It was a dilemma. One choice was to leave her, and another was to take her with me. She was very light, so I could have done a fireman's lift and take her down to my bike. But she had a lot of injuries, and it seemed if there was a risk of internal bleeding, wounds, then dragging her like a rag doll on my shoulder might have perhaps killed her. The prudent decision was to leave her in the recovery position and go for help on my bike as fast as I could." |
| Leaving her "was not a very comfortable decision to have to make", he said. | Leaving her "was not a very comfortable decision to have to make", he said. |
| He did not see Zeena and had "no inkling" she was there, and was not surprised police did not find her for some hours. "Unless you were to open that car and look in, the way the bodies in the rear were slumped, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I can see why you wouldn't want to go into the car for forensic reasons and there would be no other reason to go in there other than to move bodies." | He did not see Zeena and had "no inkling" she was there, and was not surprised police did not find her for some hours. "Unless you were to open that car and look in, the way the bodies in the rear were slumped, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I can see why you wouldn't want to go into the car for forensic reasons and there would be no other reason to go in there other than to move bodies." |
| The French prosecutor Eric Maillaud arrived in Surrey on Thursday with the French examining magistrate Michel Mollin and both are expected to visit the Hilli family home in Claygate during their 24-hour visit. Maillaud told reporters of the motive: "Without any doubt the reason and the causes have their origin in this country." | The French prosecutor Eric Maillaud arrived in Surrey on Thursday with the French examining magistrate Michel Mollin and both are expected to visit the Hilli family home in Claygate during their 24-hour visit. Maillaud told reporters of the motive: "Without any doubt the reason and the causes have their origin in this country." |
| His comments would appear to rule out robbery or carjacking. It also dispelled speculation that the French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, apparently shot because he stumbled on the scene, may have been the original target. | His comments would appear to rule out robbery or carjacking. It also dispelled speculation that the French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, apparently shot because he stumbled on the scene, may have been the original target. |
| Forty French police officers are working on the complex case with investigators focusing on three specific areas – Hilli's work, his family and his native Iraq – as they try to find a motive for the murders. | Forty French police officers are working on the complex case with investigators focusing on three specific areas – Hilli's work, his family and his native Iraq – as they try to find a motive for the murders. |
| Maillaud said a number of witnesses had come forward in Annecy. They include a hiker, named only as Philippe D, 41, who likened the carnage to a horrific film scene. | Maillaud said a number of witnesses had come forward in Annecy. They include a hiker, named only as Philippe D, 41, who likened the carnage to a horrific film scene. |
| Sources said the victims were likely to have been shot with the same gun, fuelling speculation that they were targeted by a contract killer. Each person was shot twice in the head. | Sources said the victims were likely to have been shot with the same gun, fuelling speculation that they were targeted by a contract killer. Each person was shot twice in the head. |
| Detailed ballistic analysis of 25 spent cartridges found at the scene suggests they all came from a 7.65mm automatic pistol. | Detailed ballistic analysis of 25 spent cartridges found at the scene suggests they all came from a 7.65mm automatic pistol. |
| The gun has been described as an old-fashioned weapon but one that is still sometimes used by special forces. | The gun has been described as an old-fashioned weapon but one that is still sometimes used by special forces. |
| The victims' bodies have been returned to their families. | The victims' bodies have been returned to their families. |
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