Lake Annecy murders: Everything we know five years on from the unsolved killing of a Claygate family in southern France

A timeline of events since the mysterious murders on a remote mountain road

It is five years since a family from Claygate met their end on a remote mountain road high in the French Alps.

But police are no closer to finding the gunman who slaughtered Saad al-Hilli, his wife, Iqbal, her mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, and passing French cyclist Sylvain Mollier near Lake Annecy on September 5 2012.

The brutal attack, in which 25 shots were fired, also left the al-Hillis' eldest daughter, Zainab, badly wounded and younger daughter, Zeena, cowering under her mother's skirt for eight hours.

On the fifth anniversary of the killings, Mr al-Hilli's brother, Zaid, expressed frustration to the BBC at the lack of progress in an investigation that has at varying times considered military secrets, political assassination, lone psychopaths, ex-policemen and a French Foreign Legionnaire, all to no avail.

Who shot the al-Hillis and Mr Mollier, and why? Here is what we know:

September 5 2012 - The killings

Just before 4pm on September 5 2012, a British cyclist and former RAF pilot found a scene of chaos at a lay-by on the Route de la Combe d'Iré above Lake Annecy. A BMW, its engine still running, was jammed hard against the mountainside, midway through trying to turn and flee.

The doors were locked, and inside were the al-Hillis, each of the adults with three gunshot wounds, including at least one each to the forehead. The cyclist didn't see Zeena, four, hiding in the footwell by her mother's feet.

But he did find Mr Mollier, 45, sprawled by the car with seven gunshot wounds in his body, and Zainab, seven, wandering dazed and wounded. She had been shot in the shoulder and repeatedly struck on the head. He put her in the recovery position and called the emergency services, saving her life.

September 9 2012 - Police investigate assassination theory

French detectives soon floated the theory that the murders had been a professional hit, with Mr al-Hilli as the target. He had been part of a team working on a secret defence contract linked to European Aeronautic Defence and Space, a company that designs and launches satellites for commercial, civil and defence purposes.

However, his colleagues at Surrey Satellites Technology Limited said his work was routine and would not have required him to sign the Official Secrets Act.

September 10 2012 - Bomb squad called to al-Hillis' home

During a search of the al-Hillis' home in Oaken Lane, Claygate, police called a Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal unit to examine "items" found in the house. They also evacuated several properties in the immediate area.

However, the bomb squad found no hazardous items in the house.

September 22 2012 - Joint Franco-British investigation launched

Surrey Police joined forces with French investigators under the EU judicial co-operation policy Eurojust - only the second time this had happened since the policy was created in 2003. The joint investigation would make cross-border cooperation easier and speed up the investigation.

October 8 2012 - The Swiss connection

Swiss prosecutors confirmed that Mr al-Hilli had visited a bank in Geneva shortly before the murders, and believed the trip had been linked to his death.

Swiss authorities seized a bank account belonging to al-Hilli's father, and raised the possibility the killings were due to a falling out between him and his brother over an inheritance from their father.

October 29 2012 - 'Lone psychopath'?

Details of the investigation leaked to the French press said the police suspected the killer was most likely to be a "lone psychopath" rather than a hitman.

One of the reasons for this conclusion was the type of weapon used - a pre-Second World War Luger P06 pistol, issued to the Swiss army during the 1920s and 1930s. The report said a professional assassin was unlikely to use such an obsolete weapon.

June 24 2013 - Zaid al-Hilli arrested

Surrey Police arrested Mr al-Hilli's brother, Zaid, on suspicion of involvement in the Annecy killings. He admitted rowing with his brother, but dismissed allegations he had arranged the killings as "ridiculous".

He was later released and, in January 2014, Surrey Police announced he would face no further action.

October 21 2013 - Panorama investigation

The BBC's Panorama programme reported a grey BMW X5 4x4 with right-hand drive was spotted at the crime scene, as was a motorcycle rider with a goatee beard and an unusual helmet.

February 18 2014 - Former policeman arrested


A sketch of the motorcyclist in the unusual helmet led French police arrested a former police officer in the village close to where the murders had taken place. He was described as an "arms collector" by Le Monde , and several weapons were reportedly found in his home, but he faced no further action over the al-Hilli murders.

May 24 2015 - French Foreign Legionnaire suspected

Press reports indicated that Patrice Menegaldo, a former soldier in the French Foreign Legion who had committed suicide the previous June, was the chief suspect in the al-Hilli murders. He had been interviewed as a witness as French police believed he fitted the description of a professional assassin who could have targeted Mr al-Hilli.

French prosecutors speculated he had taken his own life because he had regretted murdering the al-Hillis and Mr Mollier. However, nothing conclusive was found and the investigation continued.

January 3 2016 - Another suspect identified

A former French police officer named 53-year-old Belgian Michael Hecht as his main suspect in the killings, due in part to his involvement in other, similar crimes.

Hecht had been convicted of three attempted murders in 2008, and was suspected of having murdered a pair of cyclists in Brittany in 1986. However, once again, there was insufficient evidence for an arrest or prosecution in the al-Hilli case.

May 21 2017 - Brother calls for High Court review

Zaid al-Hilli called for a High Court review into the murder investigation as there had been "no progress for years".

He said: "I do not trust the French police or the prosecutor, so I believe the review should be conducted by a High Court judge." He also said he believed his brother and his family had not been the targets, and had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

September 5 2017 - No new leads

Five years on from the murder, French police said they believed the al-Hillis had been the victims of an unplanned attack after an "unfortunate encounter" with someone who lived near Lake Annecy. However, they also admitted the case was "not advancing".

A Surrey Police spokesperson said: "Surrey Police is continuing to provide support to the French investigation into the murder of four people near Annecy, southern France on September 5 2012.

"As part of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which was established following the deaths, officers from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team have worked closely with the French authorities to progress a number of lines of enquiry in the UK.

"This is a complex enquiry; however Surrey Police remains committed to helping find answers to what happened and continuing to assist the French investigation wherever possible."

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