Pistol found in lake could be linked to unsolved killings of British family

A pistol found in a lake in France is being analysed for possible links to the unsolved killings of three British family members and a French cyclist in the Alps, prosecutors have said.

The weapon was found in Lake Annecy, eastern France, not far from where Saad al Hilli, 50, his wife, Ikbal, 47, and her mother Suhaila al Allaf, 74, were shot dead on a remote road in the village of Chevaline on 5 September 2012.

The couple's two young daughters survived, but a 45-year-old cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was also killed at the scene.

Prosecutor Marie-Celine Lawrysz said that on 20 August, two tourists swimming in the lake found a semi-automatic pistol at a depth of around 5ft, a few dozen metres away from the shore.

She said: "They kept the weapon for 24 hours and conducted online research to identify its type.

"They subsequently drew a link between the discovered weapon and the one believed to have been used in the Chevaline killing".

Ms Lawrysz said ballistic experts in France would now analyse the weapon, which appears to be a Luger pistol.

The bodies of Iraqi-born engineer Mr al Hilli and his dentist wife, who lived in Claygate, Surrey, were discovered in their BMW along with that of Mrs al Hilli's mother.

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Mrs al Hilli's previous husband, an American dentist named only as James T, died from a heart attack on the same day, but police said there was no link to the murders.

Suspects previously arrested in connection with the case include an Iraqi prisoner, known as Mr S, who was claimed to have said he had been offered "a large sum of money" to kill Iraqis living in the UK.

Mr al Hilli's brother, Zaid, was also arrested on suspicion of murder in 2013 but was later told he would face no further action after police found there was insufficient evidence to link him with a crime.

In 2022, another suspect was questioned but released without charge.

(c) Sky News 2026: Pistol found in lake could be linked to unsolved killings of British family