Rare pistol ‘similar to the type used to kill a British family in the French Alps’ is found at the bottom of a nearby lake – 14 years on
A rare Luger pistol of the same type used to kill a British family in the French Alps in 2012 has been recovered by police divers from the bottom of Lake Annecy, close to where the killings took place. Saad Al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal, her mother Suhaila, and French cyclist Sylvain Mollier were all shot dead in the attack, which remains unsolved 14 years on and shocked Europe at the time. The discovery has renewed hope that forensic advances could finally help identify the killer, even though the case has long been hampered by conflicting theories and a botched initial investigation.
The weapon found is a Luger PO6/29, a rare Swiss military sidearm, matching fragments recovered from the original crime scene and later traced to a 1935 batch of just 940 such pistols. French cold case investigators in Nanterre plan to compare the newly found gun with the original fragments and examine its serial number, while acknowledging that 14 years underwater will make forensic analysis difficult, though DNA recovery from submerged items is no longer considered impossible. The 2012 attack saw 21 shots fired in under two minutes, with the Al-Hillis' young daughter Zainab injured and her sister Zeena escaping by hiding in the car; theories about the killer's identity, including a mysterious camper and a former Swiss soldier, have never been confirmed.
- Rare Luger pistol found in Lake Annecy, near 2012 Alps murder scene
- Weapon matches type used to kill the Al-Hilli family and a cyclist
- French cold case unit to test gun against original crime scene fragments
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In 2012, four people were shot dead near Lake Annecy in the French Alps: British family members Saad Al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal and her mother Suhaila, as well as French cyclist Sylvain Mollier. The couple’s young daughters survived the attack, and the case remains unsolved.
Investigators have considered different explanations and possible suspects, but none has been confirmed. The case drew wide attention and has been difficult to resolve, in part because of problems with the early investigation.
The Luger is a rare Swiss military pistol, and fragments from a weapon of that type were found at the scene. Comparing a recovered gun with those fragments may offer investigators new evidence, although years underwater could make forensic tests challenging.