Alps Murders: 'No Obvious Link' To Arrested Man

Police investigating the murder of a British family in the French Alps say the man they are holding is suspected of arms trafficking.

But they added there is no obvious link between him and the killings in September 2012 and it was "highly unlikely" he would be charged in the murder inquiry.

Saad al Hilli, an Iraqi-born British tourist, was shot dead along with his wife Iqbal and her mother in his BMW estate.

The couple's two daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack in a woodland car park close to Chevaline in the hills above Lake Annecy.

Passing French cyclist Sylvain Mollier was also killed after apparently stumbling upon the scene.

Hopes had been raised on Tuesday when French police detained the former officer, believed to be Eric Devouassoux, who is still in custody.

It was their first arrest in the case and came after police received around 100 calls from the public following an appeal.

Investigators said he had a strong resemblance to an artist's impression released in November of a mysterious motorcyclist seen near where the murders occurred.

But a source close to the inquiry told the AFP news agency the man's DNA did not match samples from two unknown individuals taken at the crime scene.

Firearms, grenades, explosives and detonators were reportedly seized during a raid on the man's home and he was suspected of being involved in arms trafficking with an accomplice.

Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud said a second person close to the arrested man had been detained on Tuesday night after "trying to flee".

Among the items found at the arrested man's home were a motorbike, a Luger pistol and two motorbike helmets, Mr Maillaud said.

Investigators have previously said a Luger P06, a handgun used by the Swiss army in the 1930s, was used in the killings.

But the helmets did not match the one described by witnesses and the Luger was not the same model or calibre as the murder weapon, Mr Maillaud added.

He said the case was "not cleared up" and "the investigation is continuing," adding there will likely be "other arrests to come".

Mr Devouassoux - a former brigadier chief in the French National Gendarmerie - is thought to have been sacked six months ago, meaning he was still a serving officer at the time of the murders.

The arrest had earlier led Mr al Hilli's brother, who was previously arrested by British police also investigating the murders, to say he was "happy" with what had happened.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News from his home in southwest London, Zaid al Hilli said: "Yes, I am happy, but I don't know anything about it apart from what I read in the media."

The 54-year-old businessman said he had had no contact with French police. "I don't know anything about the investigation," he said.

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