The mainstream media for the most part has moved on. But there are a few more gleanings to be had, of perhaps the most interesting comes from the Daily Mirror, which labels al-Hilli an extremist on the grounds that he was against the war in Iraq, disapproved of the behaviour of Israel and had doubts over 9/11 – which makes a great deal of the population “extremist”. But the Mirror has the only mainstream mention I can find of the possibility that Mossad carried out the killings. Given Mr al-Hilli’s profession, the fact he is a Shia, the fact he had visited Iran, and the fact that Israel heas been assassinating scientists connected to Iran’s nuclear programme, this has to be a possibility. There are of course other possibilities, but to ignore that one is ludicrous.
Which leads me to the argument of Daily Mail crime reporter, Stephen Wright, that the French police should concentrate on the idea that this was a killing by a random Alpine madman or racist bigot. Perfectly possible, of course, and the anti-Muslim killings in Marseille might be as much a precedent as Mossad killings of scientists. But why the lone madman idea should be the preferred investigation, Mr Wright does not explain. What I did find interesting from a man who has visited many crime scenes are his repeated insinuations that the French authorities are not really trying very hard to find who the killers were, for example:
the crime scene would have been sealed off for a minimum of seven to ten days, to allow detailed forensic searches for DNA, fibres, tyre marks and shoe prints to take place.
Nearby bushes and vegetation would have been searched for any discarded food and cigarette butts left by the killer, not to mention the murder weapon.
But from what I saw at the end of last week, no such searches had taken place and potentially vital evidence could have been missed. House to house inquiries in the local area had yet to be completed and police had not made specific public appeals for information about the crime. No reward had been put up for information about the shootings.
Behind the scenes, what other short cuts have been taken? Have police seized data identifying all mobile phones being used in the vicinity of the murders that day?
The idea that the French authorities – who are quite as capable as any other of solving cases – are not really trying very hard is an interesting one.
Which leads me to this part of a remarkable article from the Daily Telegraph, which if true points us back towards a hit squad and discounts the ides that there was only one gun:
Claims that only one gun was used to kill everybody is likely to be disproved by full ballistics test results which are out in October.
While the 25 spent bullet cartridges found at the scene are all of the same kind, they could in fact have come from a number of weapons of the same make.
This throws up the possibility of a well-equipped, highly-trained gang circling the car and then opening fire.
Both children were left alive by the killers, who had clinically pumped bullets into everybody else, including five into Mr Mollier.
Zainab was found staggering around outside the car by Brett Martin, a British former RAF serviceman who cycled by moments after the attack, but he saw nobody except the schoolgirl.
Her sister, Zeena, was found unscathed and hiding in the car eight hours later.
Both sisters are now back in Britain, and are believed to have been reunited at a secret location near London.
There are of course a number of hit squad options, both governmental and private, which might well involve iraqi or Iranian interests – on both of which the mainstream media have been very happy to speculate while almost unanimously ignoring Israel.
But what interests me is why the Daily Telegraph choose, in the face of all the evidence, to minimise the horrific nature of the attack by stating that “Both children were left alive by the killers”? Zainab was not left alive by design, she was shot in the chest and her skull was stove in, which presumably was a pretty serious attempt to kill a seven year-old child. The other girl might very well have succeeded in hiding from the killers under her mother’s skirts, as she hid from the first rescuers, and then for eight hours from the police.
The Telegraph article claims to be informed by sources close to the investigation. So they believe it was a group of people, and feel motivated to absolve those people from child-killing. Now what could the Daily Telegraph be thinking?
“Well I say granny, it’s that old woman there. She’ll look after you when me and mummy pop to the bank” !
Dopey.
That Kipko is interesting:
Some of KIPCO Group Companies
Financial Services
Burgan Bank
Gulf Bank Algeria
Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB)<<<<<<<<<<
Bank of Baghdad
G M Holdings [Auchi ]
Jordan
Participation in the following Jordanian Banks:
– Union Bank for Investment & Savings.
– Bank of Jordan.
– Jordan Kuwait Bank<<<<<<<<<<<<<
http://www.gmhsa.com/majorachievements.html
James re;the green 4×4.
What of the dark Pajero crashed in the woods with a body in it ?
Katie
That’s nothing that.
“we are no longer trying to link the exact same car we are looking for…with the exact same car we are looking for”
“…it’s the forestry department and that’s that….and the cheques in the post, your bum doesn’t look big in that, yes they have WMD…AND of course darling, I won’t do that !!!.
Katie
Kipco merged with a Canadian company, and went public. Prior to that the Kuwaiti royal family had a huge stake in it – not sure (can’t remember) if it was an 80% stake diluted to 40% or 40% to start with.
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/flush-with-cash-fairfax-lands-royal-deal/article1715626/?service=mobile
LOL…. James !
Dopey, I was just curious as to how both Kipco & GMH can own the same bank if they are not associated. ?
We now know of two sets of photos that the AHs took on their way to that lay-by.
One set taken by SAH near Doussard {http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/12/french-alps-shooting-photographs-taken?newsfeed=true}: “The holiday snaps, which have not been released, were taken by Mr Hilli and show his wife, mother and daughters smiling outside a picture-postcard local house, decked with flowers, close to the nearby village of Doussard, half a mile from where the attack happened. Detectives believe that minutes after the pictures were taken, the family were killed.”
Another set taken by the granny in Arnand at 15:15 {http://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/tuerie-de-chevaline-la-famille-al-hilli-ne-se-sentait-pas-menacee-14-10-2012-2231717.php} “(…) une série de trois photos prises à 15 h 15 par la grand-mère, Suhaila, 74 ans, dans le hameau de Arnand, à deux pas de Chevaline.”
Thus, they were obviously taking their time gallivanting around the area, which doesn’t sound as if they were on their way to a clandestine meeting. However, it would have made them really easy to follow. A 4×4 or any other car wouldn’t be the vehicle of choice for that task (on those narrow roads, stopping out of sight without obstructing traffic would have been very difficult), but a motorcycle or even a bicycle would have done the trick.
What about the link to the Islamic Dawa party through the cousin Balsam who went back to Iraq to stand for election? It is sponsored by Iran too. She also appears to be very wealthy being married to a Greek shipping magnate as I remember it.
Peter…
Isn’t Col Chevel…. in the other direction to the forest road route in from Chevaline ?
sorry I mean Col de Cherel (towards Jarsy).
I mean Col de Cherel…towards Jarsy.
Balsam interview: http://scotlandyard.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/balsam-al-hilli-nation-party.html
@ James
Isn’t Col Chevel…. in the other direction to the forest road route in from Chevaline ?
Yes, which is why the killer (or the 15-year-old) might have wanted to flee in that direction, because most traffic would be coming from the direction of Chevaline – and so would the police.
Speaking of directions, those two sets of photos might actually support the statement of the builders who saw the AH family exiting Chevaline at 14:40 {http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/Faits-divers/Actualite/Le-scenario-minute-par-minute-de-la-tuerie-de-Chevaline-555890}. The thing is, the AHs must have turned north after passing through Chevaline, heading towards Arnand and Doussard, perhaps along the Route du Moulin. Only later would they have doubled back south and driven towards that lay-by.
Another lie !
The beautiful village of Arnand ! It looks a rustic sh*thole !
It maybe better in the summer I suppose.
He may have have been on a buying mission. “French Sh*tholes” !
They look like they still burn witches there
Peter..
I think from Arnand you go the chemin rural de chevaline, through chevaline and up the forest road to the layby.
Still doesnt explain why the motor bike passed Billy…and the police are looking for it on the Cherel pass ?
That then would be “two” motorbikes.
Unless it is “one” motorbike which passed Billy “going up” the road…then continued through ? BUT he didn’t say that.
I think its fairly obvious that the bike went through, because you do not want too many witnesses seeing more than is necessary. So the motorcycle or bike continued up.
I don’t know what Brett have said, but if he works for British intelligence he will not say all he knows or has seen.
<strong<I hope we will not hear anymore from Katie. She has behaved unbelievable cowardly by echoing accusations from Ferret (Without thinking for herself – supposing for a moment that such a process is possible given the hardware available) that I should be a so called anti-semite (sic) – a way commonly employed by the other side to stain people and to stifle debate and criticism about Israels wrongdoings.
Kenneth
I also second the comments that Ferret made with regard you.
You are clearly a mad man.
I hope that no one no longer posts again after noting your comments…
…and hopefully you will take your views and go elsewhere.
Isn’t there some Danish Nazi forum you can find ?
Peter
Given how close Doussard and Arnand are, do you think we could be talking about the same set of photos?
an excellent detailed map of the area is http://www.parcdesbauges.com/documentation-en-ligne/download-document/727-rncfs_carte_2010.html.
Peter/Eagle, remember there were two phones. Presumably that accounts for the two sets of photos ?
It could be all photos taken at the ame place I agree. It would be natural to swop so all of the family are in at least one photo taken on a particular day/at a particular spot.
There is always the possibility too that the family snaps were taken to make it look like there was nothing sinister going on.
Kathy – my thoughts too
Three things occurred to me about the time of photos remarks. The first two are about cameras not phones (don’t know on what device the pics were taken). The third is a general point.
1. I shouldn’t like to rely on times given by my camera as they are invariably wrong.
2. If the al Hilli camera’s time setting was right, it’d presumably be set to one of two UK times, GMT or BST. Not all cameras or owners automatically put the clocks forward and back. So you can’t be *certain sure* of exactly what time the photo is taken. Grandmother’s camera, of course, might be set to Swedish time (same time zone as France, I think) – see next point.
3. La belle France is an hour ahead of Blighty.
So the cameras’ time settings might be plain wrong or they might be set for another time zone or they might not be the same as one another. But “les flics” would be able to control for this – ou pas?
To me this is another layer of uncertainty and vagueness, whilst apparently adding scientifically accurate information.
@P_
14 Oct, 2012 – 5:47 pm
My thoughts exactly. And if they were set at Baghdad time!?
Allez, les flics .. publish and be damned! You might make some progress then.
“James”,I have never communicated directly with you and never will, because 1) you are not British and most importantly (2) you were instrumental in sending the highly respected and most honourable Mr. Anders7777 out of this forum by cowardly and dispicablecomplaint to the moderator. Anders is 7777 times better than you, at least.
Does anyone know if a phone goes automatically onto local time when it switches to ‘roaming’ ?
I am till intrigued by Akeel an Saffar. I have 3 mentions of him:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/1464412/Saddams-half-brother-behind-Iraq-PM-hit.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/sep/04/iraq.rorymccarthy
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/24/050124fa_fact1
These suggest he was/is Alawi’s right hand man but I can find nothing else. given Alawi’s background it would be useful to know if he is in anyway connected.
@ Katie
Does anyone know if a phone goes automatically onto local time when it switches to ‘roaming’ ?
Unless you have specifically disabled the default setting that time and date are set via the network, it will.