Saad al-Hilli was gunned down in September 2012 along with his wife and her mother in a woodland car park close to the village of Chevaline in the hills above Lake Annecy.
A 'breakthrough' by French police investigating the murders of a British family in France 12 years ago has been described as a 'positive sign of hope' by relatives.
French cold case detectives have now revealed a new lead has emerged involving a Swiss special forces soldier who 'went off the rails' based on the type of gun used. French investigators believe the brutal mass shooting of three British family members and a French cyclist in the Alps could finally be solved after 12 years - as a new lead suggests the murderer was a special forces soldier who 'went off the rails'
'If this is as significant as they say then hopefully, they will be able to get some more details and they can tell me what the investigators have found out. 'I'm confident that with new experts maybe we can find out what happened and maybe this is the breakthrough we have been hoping for.' All of the victims were struck by one or two bullets to the head fired from just feet away, with experts believing the killer may have even opened the door to the BMW before leaning in and firing.
Analysts point to a number of pieces of evidence, including that within just 60 to 90 seconds the perpetrator had fired 21 shots. The type of weapon used - a post-war Luger PO6/29 - is not favoured by professional hitmen, as they are known to regularly malfunction and are considered unreliable. Read More Breakthrough in DNA testing could finally help cops find mystery killer who gunned down UK family and French cyclist in the Alps 12 years ago It was found that the massacre could only have been undertaken by someone who was very proficient in handling a weapon.
'This is something learned in Switzerland, not in France, or the guy is part of a specialized unit,' he told Le Parisien. Read More Brother of British tourist shot dead in Alps gun massacre demands new probe into 'bungling' French police Saad Al-Hilli had attempted to escape the murderer's clutches by reversing his BMW, leaving an arc in the ground measuring 15 metres, before the car became stuck in the embankment.
Instead, a belated reconstruction took place more than a decade later at a disused airfield outside Paris, attended by lawyers and police chiefs.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Family of Brits murdered in 2012 Alps shooting hail 'possible breakthrough we've been waiting for'...Saad al-Hilli was gunned down in September 2012 along with his wife and her mother in a woodland car park close to the village of Chevaline in the hills above Lake Annecy.
Read more »
Victoria Beckham Earns £1 Million From Music Despite Not Singing Since 2012Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham raked in £1 million from music royalties last year, despite not performing since 2012. The earnings helped offset losses at her fashion and beauty firm.
Read more »
New Witnesses Identified in 2012 Death of Scots Tourist in SpainPrivate detectives investigating the death of a Scots tourist in Spain 12 years ago are to deliver a dossier detailing 13 potential new witnesses to prosecutors. The case of Craig Mallon, who was killed in Lloret de Mar in 2012, has been reopened by a team led by retired Strathclyde Police detective David Swindle.
Read more »
Stanley Park cafe to stay after council dealArt Deco cafe has been in Stanley Park since 2012
Read more »
Who was Shafilea Ahmed? British-Pakistani girl murdered by her parentsShafilea Ahmed died in 2003 but her killers were not brought to justice until 2012
Read more »
Everton claim place in Premier League history after ‘schoolboy’ moment against Leicester...New Everton coach Charlie Adam reveals his regrets of leaving Liverpool back in 2012
Read more »