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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Al-Hilli murders: Man arrested in Alps probe | Al-Hilli murders: Man arrested in Alps probe |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| French police investigating the killing of a British family in the Alps in 2012 have arrested a 48-year-old man. | French police investigating the killing of a British family in the Alps in 2012 have arrested a 48-year-old man. |
| AFP is reporting that the man, from the Haute-Savoie region, strongly resembles an identikit image of a motorcyclist seen near the murder scene. | |
| Officers are using metal detectors to search a garden 10km (6 miles) away. | |
| Saad al-Hilli, 50, an Iraqi-born British citizen, was found dead in his BMW car; his wife Iqbal, her mother and a French cyclist were also killed. | |
| AFP is also reporting that sources close to the inquiry say the man arrested, who is in formal custody, is a former police officer. | |
| It reports the man, described as a quiet type who liked guns, was dismissed from the police in June last year. | |
| Meanwhile, a garden in Talloires, a small town on the east shore of Lake Annecy, is being searched by police. | |
| Mr and Mrs al-Hilli's two young daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack, which took place in a car park near Lake Annecy. | Mr and Mrs al-Hilli's two young daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack, which took place in a car park near Lake Annecy. |
| The older daughter, Zainab, was shot and beaten. Her sister, Zeena, was found traumatised but physically unscathed after hiding under bodies in the car. | The older daughter, Zainab, was shot and beaten. Her sister, Zeena, was found traumatised but physically unscathed after hiding under bodies in the car. |
| The body of the cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was found nearby. | The body of the cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was found nearby. |
| The identikit image of the motorcyclist was issued last November after French police said they wanted to speak to a man seen riding in the area between 3.15pm and 3.40pm shortly before the murders took place. | The identikit image of the motorcyclist was issued last November after French police said they wanted to speak to a man seen riding in the area between 3.15pm and 3.40pm shortly before the murders took place. |
| This followed a BBC Panorama programme broadcast in October in which a key witness - a forestry worker - was interviewed for the first time. | |
| He described seeing a BMW 4x4 car close to the murder scene and told Panorama two of his co-workers saw a man on a motorbike near the scene. The biker lifted up his helmet and they saw he had "a bit of a beard". | |
| The man's helmet was said by prosecutors to be "very particular", one of only a few thousand such models worldwide. | The man's helmet was said by prosecutors to be "very particular", one of only a few thousand such models worldwide. |
| Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud was quoted by AFP as saying the arrest was the result of witness statements that came in after the image was released. | Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud was quoted by AFP as saying the arrest was the result of witness statements that came in after the image was released. |
| He said there was no "direct link" apparent between the man and the victims. | He said there was no "direct link" apparent between the man and the victims. |
| Under French law, police can hold suspects in criminal cases for up to 48 hours without charge. | Under French law, police can hold suspects in criminal cases for up to 48 hours without charge. |
| Hundreds interviewed | Hundreds interviewed |
| Mr al-Hilli and his family lived in Claygate, Surrey, and were on holiday at the time of the attack, along with Mrs al-Hilli's mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, who lived in Sweden. | |
| More than 100 police officers in France and the UK have been involved in investigating the case and about 800 people have been interviewed. | More than 100 police officers in France and the UK have been involved in investigating the case and about 800 people have been interviewed. |
| Surrey Police said the arrest was prompted by a line of inquiry in France and was not as a result of investigation carried out in the UK. | |
| French prosecutors previously said the "reasons and causes" for the killings had their "origins" in the UK and they investigated an alleged feud between Mr al-Hilli and his brother Zaid over inheritance. | French prosecutors previously said the "reasons and causes" for the killings had their "origins" in the UK and they investigated an alleged feud between Mr al-Hilli and his brother Zaid over inheritance. |
| Zaid al-Hilli, 54 and also from Surrey, denied involvement in the murders and accused French police of "covering up" the real target of the killings. | Zaid al-Hilli, 54 and also from Surrey, denied involvement in the murders and accused French police of "covering up" the real target of the killings. |
| He was released from bail last month after being arrested last year on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. | He was released from bail last month after being arrested last year on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. |
| Surrey Police said there was not enough evidence to charge him. | |
| The motive for the shootings has remained elusive. | The motive for the shootings has remained elusive. |
| Speculation has focused on possible links to Iraq or Saad al-Hilli's work as a satellite engineer. |