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?
@Bluebird14 Oct, 2012 – 11:04 pm
First name ( complete ): M Saleh Suhaila
First name: Suhaila
Family name: Al-Allaf
http://www.ratsit.se/BC/ReportSmall.aspx?ID=KCI06m-_S2oADFyNahMFhinQuFEhwZxCyvncVRGV2ZY
This is how it looks in the national register in Sweden. Probably they placed the “M” as a first name.
@Bluebird
I thought that too…tried to find variants, but no luck
@Thomas
I was looking to see how Suhaila and her son and deceased husband, Abdul Amir Al-Saffar came into the picture – it was an AFP news report from Sept 13, picked up by a few papers. Clearly they had been to Sweden and interrogated a neighbour on (thursday) the same day who said he had not seen the latter [Haydar] (ce dernier) for “some time”. No comment about when he last saw the grandmother. The local police chief Hesam Akbari said that nobody had reported [Haydar] missing.
The family only spoke English and arabic in Sweden, apparently.
Where’s Haydar?
@Q 14 Oct, 2012 – 7:20 pm
“@NR: Decomposition would make identification from photos next to impossible, if it were that far gone. You mean to say they didn’t even involve a forensic dentist?”
Nothing was mentioned publicly about Gareth Williams ID via DNA or dental records – much mention of his red wig, designer gowns and high-heels. Report was the corpse was pretty much liquefied.
If they did do DNA, hope the ref sample wasn’t a vial handed to the medical examiner by 5 or 6, “We keep samples on hand for all our spies, just for such contingencies.”
@James 14 Oct, 2012 – 2:24 pm
“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.”
These days, witch burning is the exclusive province of British red-tops, Murdoch’s Sun and others.
From the story in the Costa del Sol paper on Saad’s father’s nursing home. Forgot link.
“The cultured, softly-spoken engineer had originally fled Baghdad in the 1970s to escape persecution from former dictator Saddam Hussein, going on to run a string of factories in the UK.”
A string of factories in the UK?
The best hint that the murders weren’t instigated by British or French services is that they would have plans B and C in place in the event of trouble. Instead, they’ve spent a month desperately cobbling together an unsalable story. There is something they need to cover up, but don’t think they’re the ones who dun it.
@Felix 14 Oct, 2012 – 11:24 pm
Haydar was at a mental hospital in UK during the killing. Maybe in Reading.
Seems like Suhaila and Haydar went to UK together, some time before Suhaila left for France.
“The cultured, softly-spoken engineer had originally fled Baghdad in the 1970s to escape persecution from former dictator Saddam Hussein, going on to run a string of factories in the UK.”
If he did I wonder what name he used. Since there’s no trace, I doubt he can have run them under “Al Hilli”.
The nosy peeping tom neighbours would surely know.
Thomas
Must be an error either during inputor else by the swedish software.
European names do not correlate with arab names and a swedish official has no idea about its meaning when he does the electronic input.
I dont know what M means.
However, felix and me already found a scientists article signed by Suhaila Mahmood al Allaf. That fits to Suhalia M al Allaf very well. Mahmood al Allaf her father then Grandfather Saleh al Allaf.
The al allafs havea wikipedia notice.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allaf
I am intrigued by Salem Khalil al Allaf Specialist in mineralogy in Iraq and chairman of reknown Mubasher company, owner of Al Jazeera.
Apparently, Iqbal has another brother besides the schizophrenic one, Dr. Ahmed Al-Saffar. I haven’t been able to dig much up about him though. I think he maybe lives in Sweden.
Thomas and felix. My answer is awaiting moderation.
Meanwhile felix already found Suhaila Mahmood al Saffar in literature. M obviously stands for her fathers name Mahmood.
Is this him?
http://se.linkedin.com/pub/ahmad-al-saffar/6/347/901
Started a new job in September.
Ahmad falih mahmood al allaf must be a relative then
Falih mahmood al allaf is his father and must be the brother of suhaila.
http://www.acit2k.org/ACIT/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144&Itemid=342
None of them seem to believe in arts and humanities degrees!
…but the spooky Telegraph had discovered the Swedish flat the day before, Sept 12, reporting that Suhaila’s husband had died of kidney problems, but not mentioning the local police chief.
@NorfolkEagle – interesting story
Akeel & co seem to live in Putney. I think the company director address is an old one, as per 192.com
http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/905983827
Quite a few companies.
Not related, but another background story…Interview here, 2010, with Iraqi dissident Ali Al-Saffar, 25
{http://warnewsradio.org/read-more/the-disappearance-of-ammar-al-saffar/}
as reported by BBC news 2 years previously
{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7348256.stm}
{http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/03/04/iraqs_elected_criminals}
since 2010, silence all round.
Ahmad falih mahmood al allaf is on facebook
http://m.facebook.com/ahmad.f.alallaf?id=1206370747&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.at%2Fsearch&_rdr
He is obviously the son of suhailas brother.
@Thomas @Dopey
Ahmad also namechecked here
http://www.iimaonline.net/province.php?country=Sweden
International Iraqi Medical Association, Sweden Branches
(at his old firm,AstraZeneca)
Another Al-_Saffar is a psychiatrist, aged 58, Suad, at Karolinska Inst.
@Thomas
notice how Ahmed (sic) Al-Saffar [of Huddinge, AstraZeneca] issued a statement, reported in the Guardian, through the UK Foreign Office…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/12/french-alps-shooting-three-lines
…not the Swedish press.
BTW has anyone seen this video of Maillaud in Grenoble (?) on 8 September trying to put over the story about the two girls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pl5UjMBMmU
Not so confident as before. One for students of eye movments.
Where did the helicopter land on Sept 5??
BBC “…a helicopter took that girl from the scene. She is now in a critical condition in hospital. The whole area has been cordoned off”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19495972
c.f Stephen Wright & Nick Fagge, AFP 11 Sept
[RAF Veteran] discovered the girl outside the maroon BMW in which her parents and grandmother were shot and placed her in the recovery position before phoning [sic – he didn’t] emergency services who had her flown by helicopter to the University Hospital in nearby Grenoble.
{http://www.news.com.au/world/french-alps-killing-may-be-money-feud/story-fndir2ev-1226467801222}
I don’t think a helicopter could have taken anyone from the scene. Could one have landed in that car parking area?
Also
“a young girl …lying potentially on the road close to the car…” [Matthew Price Sept 5 BBC {http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19494578}
??potentially???
“…bizarre nature of this crime…” Too right Matthew. “..it sounds as though, from the reports that I’ve been reading at least, as if it was pretty much this car perhaps, the cyclist and that was it in this area, apart from clearly the perpetrators of the crime” reports…reading??
Problem no 1: how was it reported so quickly? [assuming innocently nobody knew it would happen…] No mention of an RAF veteran yet.
The trouble is ….you can’t have any old Joe coming across the scene – it has to be controlled and sealed immediately; thereby the problem, someone has to report it quickly. BBC implies initially nobody else there; so RAF man has to be invented/introduced.
http://www.marilynztomlins.com/articles/chevaline-the-forgotten-victim-sylvain-mollier/
Marilyn has a long explanation of the French justice system. Bottom of her blog, above the comments. Update: Sunday, October 14, 2012
“It is however Prosecutor Eric Maillaud based in Annecy who is being blamed for the investigators’ silence.
The poor chap is however quite innocent as he is very much under the orders of the investigators – in this case the Gendarmerie. Later on, yes, he will be the ‘boss man’ but right now he is not and perhaps he is as frustrated as the journalists and all of us who are interested in this case.
French justice is complicated, so I will try to explain how it works here in France.”
Watched bits of the US Evening Propaganda. All mourning the death of Senator Arlen Specter, Democrat & Republican, depending upon which way the wind and cash were blowing, and congratulating his accomplishment as a member of the Warren Commission, where he co-invented the single, magic bullet theory, that allowed them to conclude the lone loon, Lee Harvey dun it.
That event was the start of citizens’ disbelief in anything government said. Not that they hadn’t been telling tall tales throughout history, but 90% of the population bought it. The old, “How dare you question that! The government has more info than you do.”
With Chevaline, why haven’t the agencies trotted out a lone loon shooter? Doesn’t their Master Index of Useful Patsies Worldwide contain a single nutter nearby?
Apologies if I posted this way back when.
The Spy Game: Ben Macintyre Talks About ‘Double Cross’
By JOHN WILLIAMS
Q. Most of Double Cross’s tactics would be easily foiled now using Google Earth, among many other technologies. Is subterfuge a lost art in our age of information saturation?
A. Some elements of Double Cross would be unthinkable in a digital age. On the other hand, digital evidence can also be falsified. How easy would it be, for example, to plant a network of fake spies on the Internet, to ensure that when the other side went hunting for confirmation they would find it? The technology of Google Earth might reveal that there was no real army assembling in Kent; but then doctoring the technology to give precisely that impression would hardly be beyond the wit of today’s intelligence services. Technology changes, but the art of deception hardly changes at all.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/the-spy-game-ben-macintyre-talks-about-double-cross/
@Norfolk Eagle
You mentioned Akeel (“food trader”)
Interesting company here: Dorchester Foods plc [not Limited] (dissolved)
Fellow director Surmid El-Akabi
Almco chairman & CEO – Namir El-Akabi is his brother. Surmid at London branch of Almco. not so much food there.
http://www.almcogroup.com/ceo.html
Nothing available here at all!
{https://www.duedil.com/company/07942625/cbs-city-business-sales-limited}
and not much here either
{https://www.duedil.com/company/05938739/dorchester-capital-investments-ltd/people}
{http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/912192828}
However, we are back at 128 Ebury Street again….
{https://www.duedil.com/company/02260743/dorchester-estates-limited} with this one, and Almco…
{http://www.zoominfo.com/#!search/profile/person?personId=1200606918&targetid=profile}
{http://company-director-check.co.uk/search?name=Ziad+el-akabi&posted=true&Search=Search}
Big house…
{http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/magazine/the-hot-money-cowboys-of-iraq.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0}
The Hot-Money Cowboys of Baghdad
ALMCO = Al Iraq al-Moaser Company, “the modern Iraq Company
Interesting article…
@NR
Patsy…yes, they were a bit slot there. Check “Barry George” in connection with a UK execution of “Jill Dando”. Oh, and a speeding FWD vehicle which of course is never found..
http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/the-25-rules-of-disinformation/
http://www.williammartin-jun.essex.sch.uk/Airline%20ticket.pdf
@Q
Thanks for the link.
Here’s another one at the Institute…
http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/blog/reporter/2012/01/25/mini-profile-jeremy-pitt/
I thought that was a wardrobe for a minute, not room 101(0)
Waaaay-out hypothesis. What if this (Chevaline) has anything to do with that? Transfer, not of nuclear secrets but of bribes (BM Ex RAF or SM as bag man), or the girls as targets for kidnapping to control SAH? Did he take the girls out of England to protect them? Apparently he didn’t inform the school, as one of the last two calls on his phone was from there.
http://aangirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-military-money-sex.html?m=1
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-565179/Jim-fixer-Is-Jimmy-Savile-just-fantasist—truth-stranger-fiction.html#ixzz284BODf5K
Last two paras too funny.
“Whatever you think of him, when he comes to the pearly gates, his scorecard is going to be pretty full.”
And you can bet that Sir Jimmy, the flashiest eminence grise ever seen, will have some words of advice for St Peter when he gets there.”
re: gypsum in Iraq
http://www.geosurviraq.com/en/invistment%20files%20product/Production%20of%20Gypsum/index.html
Felix
Helicopters for emergency transports of injured dont need to land. There is a rope and the victim is transported hanging on that rope fixed together with a flying ambulance member. Such rescue operations are standard and quite normal in the mountains and particularly normal business in that part of france.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44dw6EW-sdE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Yes Felix, choppers are regularly used for road accidents too. Essential as France is a big spread out country.
Unrelated to the Al Hilli’s but I feel their murder was for the same reason [to silence Saad ] but it was private & personal……with a hired hit squad not the state.
“The Italian report goes on to quote an unidentified European diplomat arguing that the assassination-bent spy had to be French — noting that France and its then President Sarkozy had much to lose if Gaddafi had been allowed to go public with their secret dealings.”
Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/08/did-a-french-spy-kill-muammar-gaddafi/#ixzz29LpEXqfc
Thomas re 10/14 10:42pm
Al Saffars cannot be brothers of suhaila. Suhaila was born to the al allaf family and later married mr. Al saffar. Anybody who ia a member of the al saffar family could just be a brother in law at the very best 🙂
Her brother is falih mahmood saleh al allaf. He has a son called ahmad falih mahmood al allaf who is approx. Iqbals age and who is a software specialist. I posted his facebook site before.