Key facts
- A Luger pistol has been found in Lake Annecy, France.
- The discovery was made by British tourists on August 20.
- The weapon was found in shallow water near the campsite where the al-Hilli family was staying in 2012.
- The pistol is being examined by forensic experts to see if it matches the model used in the 2012 murders.
- The 2012 killings involved Saad al-Hilli, his wife, her mother, and a passing cyclist.
A Luger pistol discovered in Lake Annecy, France, has offered a potential new lead in the unsolved murders of a British-Iraqi family and a French cyclist that occurred 14 years ago. The weapon was found by British tourists on August 20 in approximately two meters of water, near the Le Solitaire du Lac campsite where the al-Hilli family was staying in September 2012.
Forensic experts are currently examining the pistol, which has sustained damage from its time submerged, to confirm if it is a Luger P06 model. This specific model is believed to be the type used to shoot Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal, her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, and passing cyclist Sylvain Mollier. The investigation into the killings has been extensive, spanning both France and the UK, but has yet to yield definitive answers regarding the perpetrator or motive.
Investigators have explored various theories over the years, including a family dispute over finances, a random act by an unstable individual, or that the cyclist was the primary target. The fact that the Luger P06 is considered more of a collector's item than a readily available weapon has complicated the professional hit theory. The proximity of Lake Annecy to Switzerland, where the P06 was a military sidearm, means many such weapons could be present on either side of the border.
The al-Hilli daughters, aged four and seven, were the sole survivors of the attack. The elder daughter sustained a head wound and was hit with a pistol butt, while the younger child was found hidden beneath her mother's body.