The brother of a Claygate engineer gunned down on a family camping holiday in the French Alp four years ago has told a national newspaper he wants a High Court review into their deaths.
Saad al-Hilli, 50, his wife Iqbal, 47, and her mother Suhalia al-Allaf, 74, were shot dead in the family’s BMW on a camping holiday two miles away from the village of Chevaline near Lake Annency on September 5, 2012.
From September: French Alps murders of Claygate family remains unsolved
Their two young daughters, Zainab, then seven, and Zeena, who was four at the time, survived the spree, which also saw French cyclist Sylvain Mollier shot dead on the remote forest road.
The the small car park which was the murder scene near Chevaline. Pic credit: Chris Ison/PA Wire
Speaking to the Daily Express, Saad’s brother Zaid al-Hilli, 50, called for a High Court judge to look into the case in a bid to find the killer.
He told the newspaper: “There is so much information that a judge needs to look and recommend what needs to be done.”
Mr al-Hilli, from Chessington, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder in 2013 but was released without charge the following year by Surrey Police. Two other people had been questioned about the deaths but were also released without charge.
In December last year, French detectives found new DNA evidence on the family’s BMW. Annency prosecutor Eric Maillaud, who had described the killings as “the perfect crime”, said that although the new DNA” had not been matched to anyone on the European criminal data base it was a “new lead”.
Pic credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
But Mr al-Hilli (pictured above) told the Daily Express he did not trust the French police or prosecutor investigating the murders of his brother, sister-in-law, and her mother.
He added that he believes Mr Mollier was the real target of the assassin and that his brother and his family were in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
Mr al-Hilli said: “There has been no progress for years so it is time for a review.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here