Alps Shootings: Swiss Bank Account 'Seized'

Police hunting the killers of a British family shot in the Alps are investigating possible links between the murders and a Swiss bank account, according to reports.

Swiss daily La Tribune de Geneve reported that Saad al Hilli, who was killed with his wife and mother-in-law near Annecy, had visited Geneva shortly before the shootings.

Geneva prosecutor Dario Zanni reportedly ordered the seizure of all funds in a bank account in the city, following a request from French judges in September.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Zanni said: "We believe (Mr al Hilli) came to Geneva for something. Clearly he had something here he was interested in."

Around 100 police officers in Britain and France are investigating the deaths of the 50-year-old Iraqi-born British engineer, his dentist wife Iqbal, 47, and her mother Suhaila al Allaf, 74.

French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, a 45-year-old father-of-three, also died in the attack.

Mr al Hilli's daughter Zeinab, seven, was seriously injured, while her sister Zeena, four, survived after hiding from the killer in the back of the vehicle.

One theory being investigated by police in France and the UK is that there may have been a financial feud between Mr al Hilli and his brother Zaid over a family inheritance thought to be worth up to £4m.

Zaid has been interviewed by British police as a witness, but not as a suspect, and firmly denies any dispute with his brother.

Mr Zanni said the money seized was "well below" the £4m suggested in some quarters, according to the Telegraph.

Investigators continue to probe Mr al Hilli''s work as a satellite engineer and his family's links to Iraq.

Detectives are also said to have found colour photographs that show the victims moments before the gunman struck.

They show the family from Claygate, Surrey, in the countryside near Lake Annecy on September 5.

All were taken in front of a picturesque house covered in flowers outside Doussard, a town close to the village of Chevaline.

The pictures show the family looking relaxed and happy after parking their car for a few holiday snaps.

Witnesses who saw them reportedly said the family were "certainly unaware of the doom that awaited them".

They added that dates and times are shown, helping detectives in understanding the sequence of events leading to their demise.

French police are also expected to launch a fresh appeal for witnesses, a local prosecutor said. It is not known whether they will use the photographs to try to jog locals' memories.