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Woman Shot Dead By Masked Men In Alps

Woman Shot Dead By Masked Men In Alps

A 54-year-old woman has been shot dead at her home in the French Alps, according to local media.

The victim, who has not been named, and her husband ran a popular campsite called 'Ideal' near Lake Annecy.

It is believed two masked men broke into the property in Lathuile while the woman was watching television at around 1.40am on Monday morning.

Le Dauphine reported that there was a confrontation during which the husband was hit in the face with the butt of a weapon.

It is understood the intruders fled but then fired shots through the door, one of which hit the woman in the chest.

They then drove away in a car.

The woman died at the scene and her husband was treated in hospital before being released.

Police are unsure of the motive and Annecy prosecutor Eric Maillaud said: "All hypotheses are possible. This may be a burglary gone wrong, or a settling of accounts."

The murder happened just miles from where members of a British-Iraqi family were killed on a remote road near Lake Annecy.

Saad al Hilli, his wife Ikbal and mother-in-law Suhaila al Allaf were executed as they sat in a parked car.

Mr al Hilli's two daughters, Zeena, four, and Zainab, seven, survived the attack on September 5, 2012.

Investigators have been unable to obtain any firm leads and no one has been charged in relation to the killings.