Not Forgetting the al-Hillis 22278

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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?

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22,278 thoughts on “Not Forgetting the al-Hillis”

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  • bluebird

    Quote:
    During some of the conversations, Saad also expressed frustration about having lost various computer passwords and having his Skype account password “stolen”. Again, what seemed like petty gripes at the time just might, with hindsight, have significance.

    Maybe that very paragraph has got some great relevance with the “hacktivity group” of the Devouassoux family.

  • Mochyn69

    What next for the enquiry? This from Info BFMTV

    Quoi de nouveau pour l’enquête?

    • La piste locale. La piste familiale, longtemps privilégiée, s’éloigne au profit de la piste locale. Il y a quelques semaines, les autorités britanniques avaient d’ailleurs indiqué que le contrôle judiciaire de Zaïd al-Hilli, le frère aîné du père de famille tué, avait été levée: il n’y avait pas suffisamment d’éléments pour le confondre. C’est le mobile du conflit d’héritage avec son frère qui avait conduit les enquêteurs à s’intéresser à lui.

    • Une arme “locale”. La piste de l’espionnage industriel (Saad al-Hilli était ingénieur pour une société de satellites civils), également évoquée, n’est plus privilégiée par les enquêteurs. Ceci notamment du fait de l’arme utilisée, un Luger P06-765, qui n’est pas la marque des tireurs professionnels. Cette arme possède en outre un caractère “local”, puisqu’elle se trouvait en dotation dans l’armée suisse.

    • Des armes chez l’homme interpellé. De nombreuses armes ont été saisies chez l’homme interpellé. “La présence de ces armes confirme la passion de cet homme, collectionneur d’armes anciennes”, précise une source proche de l’enquête. Les armes saisies vont faire l’objet d’examens balistiques pour voir si elles ont été utilisées. Selon nos informations, un pistolet Luger a été retrouvé à son domicile, mais d’un calibre différent de celui utilisé pour les meurtres. En outre, des revues sur les Luger, l’arme du crime ont été retrouvés chez l’homme interpellé.

    • Le téléphone portable de l’homme interpellé borné dans la zone du crime. L’examen du téléphone portable de l’homme interpellé le situe dans la zone de la tuerie au moment des faits. Pour autant, mardi soir, les gendarmes ne disposaient pas “d’éléments déterminants” pour confondre ce suspect.

    > D’autres personnes impliquées?

    • Un homme interpellé mais pas suspecté. Après cette arrestation, le parquet d’Annecy a néanmoins appelé à la prudence: il rappelle que cet homme, même placé sous le régime de la garde à vue, n’est à ce stade de l’enquête pas considéré comme suspect.

    • D’autres interpellations à prévoir? Le procureur a toutefois précisé que “cette interpellation ne resterait peut-être pas unique”. Selon Dominique Rizet, un autre portrait-robot existe dans l’enquête, celui d’un homme sans casque. Et d’après le dossier d’enquête, les gendarmes se sont déjà intéressés à une dizaine de personnes au niveau local.

    Il existe également un autre suspect, un homme chauve à la peau foncée, croisé par le même garde-forestier que le motard peu avant le quadruple meurtre. Celui-ci conduisait un 4×4 BMW de type X5 avec le volant à droite, particularité des véhicules britanniques.

    http://www.bfmtv.com/societe/info-bfmtv-chevaline-un-homme-interpelle-place-garde-a-vue-713932.html

  • bluebird

    That is the guy:

    Nov 29 2011
    Medaille d’honneur pour
    Monsieur Eric DEVOUASSOUX, brigadier chef principiri (Mairie de Menthon- Saint—Bernard). 

    The police and the maire loved him.

  • bluebird

    Perhaps we should also note that famous Iranian medical and biomed scientist Mojgan Shisheboran married into the french Devouassoux family and is now called Mojgan Devouassoux-Shisheboran.

    The Shisheboran family is a notable iranian (iranian-jewish?) family.

    Quote:
    Iran holds 6th place in global gold consumption

    The deputy head of the Association of Goldsmiths and Jewelers, Khushang Shisheboran, said at the 4th international exhibition of precious metals, gold, silver, jewelry, watches, decorative stones, jeweled instruments and industrial equipment in Isfahan that the golden jewelry industry of Iran is still behind the world development rate, Iran Newsreports, citing ISNA.

  • bluebird

    Historic, but perhaps some kind of family connection:

    1966:

    On the 20th, colonel Gonnet requires assistance to the two other rescue bodies, the ENSA and the ‘Compagnie des guides de Chamonix’. The ENSA allocates two guides, Yves Pollet-Villard and Yvon Masino, The Compagnie des guides de Chamonix, Gérard Devouassoux and Christian Mollier. In the afternoon, a helicopter drops them at theRognon, their intention is to reach the Germans climbing the North face.

    The EHMH commanding officer in charge asked help to the Compagnie des guides de Chamonix who sent two parties: Marcel Burnet and Edmond Maresca, Gérard Devouassoux and Christian Mollier, – the later two will be in the 3rd rescue party in 1966 with Pollet-Villard – Dropped by helicopter near the Charpoua refuge, they reached the Flammes de Pierre ridge at the beginning of the night. 

    http://www.summitpost.org/1966-the-drus-rescue/785559

  • bluebird

    Interesting.
    In 1975, Gerard Devouassoux died during a Mt.Everest expedition (Annapurna) where he was with his friend Christian Mollier. Mollier survived and wrote that book while Devouassoux died in Nepal. Was Gerard Devouassoux Eric’s father?

    http://www.masse-fr.com/critiques/everest_mollier.html

    La mort de Gérard Devouassoux n’est pas privilégiée par rapport à celle des sherpas. Tous sont des amants de la montagne et l’on est heureux d’apprendre que les membres de l’expédition sont venus témoigner leur sympathie à chacune des familles endeuillées ; le récit de ce dernier voyage en pays népalais donne droit à de belles pages sur la vie des sherpas et sur leurs rites religieux. Le matraquage publicitaire qui avait entouré la préparation et le voyage de l’expédition avait été des plus déplaisants. Le livre de Christian Mollier reste, par contre, très digne et redonne tout son crédit à cette entreprise. Non, ce ne sont pas des hommes d’affaires qui sont allés à l’Everest, mais des gens qui aiment la montagne. Les communiqués de presse en faisaient douter.

  • bleb

    brigadier chef principiri

    Looks impressive, but do any of you experts on France know what this is? and who it is awarded to and for what?

    Would this UK honour be similar?

    Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
    This is awarded for a significant achievement or outstanding service to the community. An MBE is also awarded for local ‘hands-on’ service which stands out as an example to other people.

    Just trying to gauge just how much the reputation of this man is being traduced by the press (and those briefing them?). Presumably he wasn’t thought a “difficult, lone nutter” when he was awarded this honour (assuming Bluebird has got the right man!)

  • bluebird

    Bleb

    Correlates with “Caporal chief” in the UK due to wikipedia.

    Yes, this is the right person. 100%.

  • Mochyn69

    @Bluebird
    19 Feb, 2014 – 12:20 am

    ‘brigadier chef principal’ of the mairie, no less eh!?

  • bluebird

    Bleb, mochyn

    True! In end of november 2011 at the age of just 45 he is getting a medaille d’honneur and he is a high ranked police officer.
    Now he is unemployed only 2 years later?
    What has happened and when that he did lose his job?
    You’re not getting just get kicked out of police for nothing.
    What happened?

    He obviously is from a very popular family of that region (see above).
    http://fr.cyclopaedia.net/wiki/Gerard-Devouassoux
    Gerard Devouassoux (high ranked alpine military) was best friend with Christian Mollier. Christian Mollier wrote a book about his death in Nepal.
    1974: French West Ridge Expedition. Led by Gerald Devouassoux, a post- monsoon attempt to climb the West Ridge Direct starting from the Lho La. Because of political considerations, they don’t climb the slopes leading up to the Lho La directly, but start from the base of the Khumbu Icefall; the expedition eventually reaches the West Shoulder by September 9. A major lapse in monitoring weather reports prevents them from learning that an unexpected return of warm monsoon weather is about to occur. The tragic result is that Gerald Devouassoux and five Sherpas are swept away in an immense avalanche, after which the expedition is called off.

    We are getting closer. Something strange must have happened to Eric Devouassoux after Nov 2011. And then we have a strong link between a famous Mollier of that region and an even more famous Devouassoux who were close friends.

  • Mochyn69

    @Bleb
    19 Feb, 2014 – 1:17 am

    It’s a silver medal of the ‘médaille d’honneur départementale et communale’.

    They seem to dish them out like confetti, hundreds of them in the ‘arrêté’ administrative order no 2011 363-0005 issued by Haute Savoie prefecture on 29 December 2011, available online as a pdf.

    I guess it could be similar to an MBE in the UK.

  • bluebird

    This is a very interesting link. Much recommended!

    A VERY CLOSE connection between not just one but between MANY Mollier and Devouassoux guys. Even in the Algerian war 1960-1962 the two families were fighting next to each other. The mountains fit them together.
    Devouassoux and Mollier even gave their names fitted together to famous routes in the Mt.Blanc massive. “Route Devouassoux-Mollier”

    http://www.chamonix-guides.com/112-yvon-masino.htm

  • bluebird

    Mochyn

    Exactly so!

    Does anybody understand that? I’m not getting clue out of that:

    Plaque commémorative (7ème BCA Plaque commémorative qui était sur le lieu de décès de l’Adjudant DEVOUASSOUX) – Photo : Oui[Ajouté le 2014-01-14 par Amicale DU 140 RIA.]

  • Mochyn69

    Maurice Herzog -a même rang de mythe national: grand-croix de la Légion d’honneur, croix de guerre 39-45, il a été chasseur alpin, résistant, homme de confiance du général de Gaulle, ministre, maire de Chamonix, député, membre du Comité olympique, et il a gagné la gloire en perdant ses premières phalanges dans l’Himalaya.

    Not according to his daughter, Félicité Herzog, who incidentally is also a director of Areva, in her book ‘Mon père, ce salaud’.

    In fact,a very, VERY interesting man!!!!

    http://bibliobs.nouvelobs.com/rentree-2012/20120831.OBS0948/fete-des-peres-1-mon-pere-ce-salaud.html

  • Mochyn69

    My father, the bastard, by Félicité Herzog

    The Joker, megalomaniac, sexually obsessed, anti-Semitic … The Legend of Maurice Herzog destroyed by his daughter, this is the chilling story of the frailities of her father, a despicable hero.

    The victim is an old man whom Félicité Herzog ironically calls “a hero”, even a national myth: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, 39-45 Croix de Guerre, he was chasseur alpin, a member of the Resistance, confidant of General de Gaulle, minister, mayor of Chamonix, MP, member of the Olympic Committee, who gained fame by losing his first phalanges in the Himalayas.

    His feat in Nepal, 8000 meters above sea level? Hilarious. The hero, professional liar, would not have reached the top and had betrayed his companions. His career? A succession of complacency, even compromises, added to a permanent megalomania. His Gaullism? He preferred to join Le Pen. Sexual behavior? Sickly. He owed his fame to the vertical, but he thought only to satisfy his pleasure horizontally. Not a day without a new mistress. As a father figure? Disastrous. He was conspicuous by his absence and, when present, behaved inappropriately – like the day when he photographed his daughter, aged 13, in her birthday suit, and at let rip at her: “You see, my dear, you will love hard sex that will make you come.” Three hundred relentless pages are barely enough for Félicité_Herzog to destroy the image of the priapic tyrant, the “libidinous ogre”, the “cannibal of sex”.

    She mentions the violence, mysticism, suicidal tendencies, homelessness and death at the age of 34 of her brother Laurent, which she blames on her father’s lack of care. She describes an upbringing in macabre baronial castles of her mother’s family, where Petainism vied with anti-semitism, where Mein Kampf and Les Décombres (“The Ruins” a virulent anti_Semitic work by the French author and journalist and expoent of fascism, Lucien Rebatet) were read, where the Queen of England (sic) visited, where aunts had served as models for Marcel Proust ..

    You get the picture? une famille issue de la grande bourgeoisie, enracinée dans la noblesse, la gloire et l’argent.

    And Félicité Herzog a director of Areva !

  • Mochyn69

    All that just as an aside while we wait for the press conference! Interesting stuff, I thought.

  • q

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561919/Man-arrested-France-connection-murder-British-family-French-Alps.html

    So, he went on to work in security in Geneva. Would some friends have helped him get that job? Was it bank work?

    Whoever were those shady characters in the Google Streets images, parked in a sketchy vehicle along that road from the murder scene? Were they part of a known gang, or mere innocents captured by the camera?

    And the Lathuile connection, just like BM — that is something.

    I noted the Golf du Lac d’Annecy near Menthon-Saint-Bernard. Not too far away is Veyrier-du-Lac, which once served as the home of these folks:

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fbi-tip-leads-french-police-wanted-us-mogul

    The person of interest is described in some articles as “hill-billy”, which seems very close to what might be considered a “lone nutter”. All a series of coincidences, of course.

    At last the final photo of the al-Hillis and their children has been revealed, and it seems to be rather ordinary, not shocking at all, unlike the photos of Sylvain Mollier. Some of the older aerieal photos seem to have been “scrubbed”, leaving a shadow image of what we now know to be reality.

    The tale becomes more tangled, with Eric’s statement that Saad’s brother is not off the hook yet.

    This is an epic worthy of Shakespeare.

  • Mochyn69

    Another mention for Eric here, under the heading ‘other ranks’:

    http://www.boc.sga.defense.gouv.fr/pdf/2013/2013_042_n_defg1351442s_80679.pdf

    ‘La médaille des services militaires volontaires échelon « argent » à titre normal est attribuée à compter du 1er janvier 2013 aux personnels n’appartenant pas à l’armée d’active dont le nom suit :

    …

    Devouassoux Eric, né le 19 octobre 1965, maréchal des logis-chef.

    …

    Also, further down the list:

    …

    Schulz Simon, né le 31 août 1967, adjudant

    …

  • Mochyn69

    @Q
    19 Feb, 2014 – 5:20 am

    Don’t let that eptithet ‘hill-billy’ mislead you. It’s a very bad online dictionary translation of the original French phrase used in parentheses in le parisien’s inital report «montagnard taiseux».

    If this is the same guy BB has identified, he’s a decorated ex volunteer soldier, police officer with some very interesting family connections.

    No wonder EM has been pretty damned cute.

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