'Major breakthrough' in case of Brits shot dead in Alps as investigators say killer was elite soldier who 'went off the rails'
French investigators believe they have finally solved the brutal mass shooting of three Brits in the Alps after 12 years.
Listen to this article
Saad al-Hilli, 50, his wife, Ikbal, 47, and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were shot dead on a road near Annecy in eastern France on September 5, 2012.
Their two young daughters survived the horror, but 45-year-old cyclist Sylvain Mollier was also killed.
Now, investigators believe the horror shooting may have been conducted by a special forces soldier who “went off the rails,” French outlet le Parisien reports.
Now, investigators believe the horror shooting may have been conducted by a special forces soldier who “went off the rails,” French outlet le Parisien reports.
The killer is believed to be a “seasoned former soldier, trained in very particular shooting techniques” who went “off the rails.”
Judge Sabine Kheris of the Nanterre cold case unit is looking into the theory, with some believing the soldier could have been a member of the elite Swiss counter-terror police force, the Détachement d'Action Rapide et de Dissuasion - or Dard.
The bodies of Iraqi-born engineer Mr al-Hilli and his dentist wife, who lived in Claygate, Surrey, were discovered along with that of Mrs al-Hilli's mother in their BMW on a remote forest route.
The murder weapon was a semi-automatic pistol of Swiss origin, a Luger PO6/29.
Investigators point to the calculated manner of the killings - which suggests the murderer may have undergone elite training.
According to investigators, a key detail being considered is the perpetrator’s decision to conduct the killings at close range - a technique employed by the Swiss Détachement d'Action Rapide et de Dissuasion.
“This is something learned in Switzerland, not in France, or the guy is part of a specialised unit,” he told Le Parisien.