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?
Peter, I keep hearing about Sharia compliant banking, no usury.
I just wondered if Swiss banks offered it & if that’s where the money is.
@ Suhayl
The trouble is that I always end up with the pretty jewish spies rather than girls from my own home, er, village.
But I am not complaining 😉
I just wondered if Swiss banks offered it & if that’s where the money is.
Again, yes, most of them (still) offer it, but is has proved to be a huge disappointment, and it’s definitely not where the big money is.
Silver Fern Sussex Ltd
Just to Recap:
It does seem that the company was an off-the-shelf one. But set up in Enfield by RwL registrars and immediately transferred to all at no 55, S. Ken.
And if this were a genuine business account, why keep the accountant at No 55? Seems very hands-off for Brighton residents.
Mrs Martin was appointed on 8 March 2009,but the company record for year ending Feb 28 2010 only shows WBM and GC as directors. WBM’s signature is there. Who is Mark Clinton Whitehead? GC Secretarial Services Ltd??
https://www.duedil.com/company/05708870/silver-fern-sussex-limited
The only other connection with Mr Whitehead of Axholme House North Street, Crowle Scunthorpe DN17 4NB is a firm Golden Talisman Holdings Limited also at busy no 55.
Another fascinating company at no 55 is FAA, Fareham Aero Agencies. {http://www.faa.uk.com/}
….but the name Silver Fern , with NZ connotations, implies that BM was instrumental in naming the firm, whereas off-the-peg companies tend to have general names…for instance, Silver Fern Microlights (also near Scunthorpe) is run by a New Zealander ex-racing motorcyclist Mike Moulai.
Was it payday for Mollier?
Yes, he was just going to load the suitcases of money on the back of his non-existent bike, chased by BM on his similarly non-existent bicycle.
Farce ™ . Psy-op ™
You guys can play dead or dumb until hell freezes over, but a real investigator cannot ignore the fact that the killer in Eilat was in a program called Iranim – ostensibly one for Jewish Iranians who wanted to help out Israel, and apparently also one to recruit covert operators who are ready and willing to do more. This seems to be the case here.
Looks like an unexpected argument- like the one Dewinter Sivia had with Steve Rawlings over the Williams-Loftus murders – surprisingly went ballistic when chef Armando Afed questioned the 23-yeaar old New Yorker about what happened to the al-Hillis et Sylvain Mollier when he was nowhere to be seen.
Makes me think that Afed may well be an Iranian Jew who did not favor what the Mossad, it seems, did.
Little wonder that it has put a complete lid on the whole incident.
So as we now know he’d been to the bank, can we assume the bags were full of cash, is that why the police immediately treated this as more than a hit & run……. suspiciously like smuggling,money laundering, mafia ?
telegraph jumps on the Swiss bank false trail with glee
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9590794/Swiss-bank-probe-in-French-Alps-murder-of-British-family.html
…it emerged that colour photographs, not currently released, showing the al-Hilli family minutes before it was decimated, have been found by detectives.
“So as we now know he’d been to the bank”
All we know is that there’s a swiss bank account, it’s not clear if he’s taken or tried to take any money out.
Given they were packed and ready to go I think they were planning to run, and pick up some cash on the way, but stopped by for a meeting with Mollier.
They were clearly waiting for someone.
So he went to Geneva that day, prior to heading to the carpark.
IF he did visit a bank he’d need his passport with him for that.
IF he did visit a bank we’re thinking of a deposit or a withdrawal. What if it was neither and it was a safety deposit box he went to deposit or withdraw from instead?
Saad told a neighbour he had documents he was worried about the safety of didn’t he.
Perhaps he went to Geneva to safely store them…or get them out. If he changed the locks on his house and was worried about security of these documents then I doubt he’d leave them in the house whilst away for a week or two.
I’m now thinking these documents are possibly key to this.
Geneva is around one hour’s drive from the scene of the crime.
We don’t know what he was doing prior to the shooting, the day before or if he went to Geneva en route to the campsite.
“Profilers have joined the investigation. According to Maillaud, it seems less likely that a professional killer was involved.
“One does not imagine a hardened, highly-paid killer, firing more than 20 times,” he added. Police found at least 25 cartridges at the scene.”
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Swiss_bank_account_linked_to_French_murders.html?cid=33670346
Katie, the reports say he went to Geneva that DAY.
Dopey. are you referring to the French report ?
This one translated:
According to our information, the passage in Geneva from this father and the amount sequestered would be in connection with the quadruple murder. Investigations are indeed carried out in recent weeks in the canton at the request of French justice.
Full text:
The Iraqi-born Englishman who died in the slaughter of horses passed through Geneva shortly before the drama, taught the Tribune de Genève. An account related to the family was found in a Geneva Private Bank and money comes to be seized by the courts.
According to our information, the passage in Geneva from this father and the amount sequestered would be in connection with the quadruple murder. Investigations are indeed carried out in recent weeks in the canton at the request of French justice.
Shortly before would imply the same day, but I understood there was only one hour unaccounted for that day.
This one.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9590794/Swiss-bank-probe-in-French-Alps-murder-of-British-family.html
Having read it again, “shortly before” the murders doesn;t necessarily mean the same day. To me it implies the same day, or the day before.
If they left around noon they could easily do Geneva, have ah hour spare and be at that carpark for 3pm. Time wise they could have gone there that day.
@ katie
but I understood there was only one hour unaccounted for that day.
……………
where did you read that Katie?
The Eilat killer is named William Hershkovitz from Poughkeepsie, NY.
Still no mention, though, of what the deadly argument was about – what Iranim was willing to forget about, and just transfer him to another job, but he had other ideas – what I doubt we shall ever hear anything more about.
Where is everybody? Surely you haven’t all decided you have lives tonight….or are glued to Strictly Come Dancing instead.
Yes OK, they both have the same wording.
Don’t forget AH was also in France alone during the winter. He must have French bank account too, I can’t see how he can own a French property without one.
“If they left around noon they could easily do Geneva, have ah hour spare and be at that carpark for 3pm”
If it’s an hour there and an hour back, parking and going to the bank would not give them enough time to be back by 3?
“If it’s an hour there and an hour back, parking and going to the bank would not give them enough time to be back by 3?”
Why not?
@Dopey
5 Oct, 2012 – 9:38 pm
Al-Hilli and family leave the campsite at 1 PM.
It could be possible to go to Geneva and back to the parkingplace, or?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2199670/Saad-Al-Hilli-shooting-French-Alps-Was-hitman-Each-British-victims-shot-TWICE-cyclist-witness-FIVE-times.html
Dopey, having read so many articles on this I couldn’t tell you !
I remember someone saying they left the campsite around 1pm I think.
“Why not?”
Because they’d need to park somewhere, get to the bank, produce the right documents, etc etc etc.
Surely withdrawing a large amount of cash from an account in someone elses name is a bit more involved than the average visit to the bank?
I agree with Dave, it would be cutting it a bit fine, but they could have travelled to Geneva before lunch, during the morning ?
Fair enough, if they didn’t leave till 1pm they couldn’t have done it that day.
I’m not convinced they went to withdraw or deposit cash.
It could have been a safety deposit box they were visiting.
FWIW: airlink to UK?: in N Savoie: Albertville Aerodrome.wiki (paved, 800m, 23m SE of Doussard/Chevaline.) in E Sussex: Swanborough Farm Airfield, http://www.airfieldcards.com (grass, 900m, 5m NW of Newhaven)
Surely withdrawing a large amount of cash from an account in someone elses name is a bit more involved than the average visit to the bank?
These days, you cannot withdraw a large amount of cash from a swiss offshore bank account, unless 1. you have noticed the bank well in advance of your intention to to so, and 2. you leave a much greater amount of cash behind in your account. In order to prevent a sudden capital flight caused by the recent erosion of banking secrecy, swiss banks have implemented an informal ban on large cash withdrawals from offshore accounts that is illegal even in swiss law – but the owners of offshore accounts (85% of the assets in which are, on average, undeclared and untaxed) are hardly likely to complain.