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?
Maybe something from the bank or safety deposit box in the car or bike rack!, tracked by the motorbike from Geneva!
Youngest held to ransom for Bank account information!
Explains all the front companies and connections!
Why they where being tracked by Intelligance organsiations including Mi5 & Mi6.
Thats because you are you – always suspicious. It could be useful while digging up a case like this, I admit, but gets a little annoying sometimes, when directed against fellow ‘diggers’.
[Mod/Jon: updated alias]
@Ehud ive just had slapped wrist for posting again!
Then again… maybe Suhaila (al-Allaf Al-Saffar) is the key?
“If Kenneth thinks it’s good, I’m starting to get skeptical…”
Ha Ha Ha ! How true.
…and if Katie agrees.
And doesn’t ask what colour eyes the banker has, then we’re done for !
Thats because you are you
Mirror mirror on the wall…
@Cd & James
Read the articles they have been tracking and investigating these things for years and still dont know where all the money is!
The US have taken a big interest in them since 9/11 as some of the account shelped fund Al-Qaeda.
Also who knows if his father actually fell out with Saddamm or just got out in time to set up over here and hide some money, its like a contingency Plan!
No, I agree.
He had a business in Iraq, falls out, leaves Iraq with his family (which is something to start with) then turns up in Esher and buys a semi !
There’s money knocking around in that “normal” family.
But is that what they got blasted for. And who would benefit ?
@James
Tee hee hee!
🙂
@Ricki
Interesting line of enquiry – hasn’t been considered before so far as I know. CD’s (and others?) objection is seeming valid, though – didn’t SAH’s family flee persecution from Sadaam in Iraq?
And… is there any possibility it could be a double-bluff to try and draw heat away from some other avenues of enquiry? No wish to cast any aspertions on you, nor your source… might have come from high up… and also worth considering…
@Jon
Sorry about the triple posts, sometimes the stupid spam filter blocks innocuous posts, and we can sneak a reduced version through by deleting less important parts and reposting. Are you able to get someone to have a look at the filter?
I am not sure I go with the idea of missing millions. The Al Hilli’s background and lifestyle do not seem to fit with the idea they had access to large sums of money. There are plenty of dubious characters out there who obviously did get hold of illicit money but they all tend to live a lifestyle to match.
I would still like to know what these factories were Kalhim was supposed to own though.
Ricki Tarr.
That makes sense and would perfectly fit into my investigation of the 3 families. Even if they were political enemies, we know that money unites and is always of common interest.
we can see this happening in our own parliaments always daily. Money unites them even above ideological interests.
However, saddams majority of money was made during the oil for food smuggling campaign. That was much later. Obviously he still had used the same strawmen for his 25% fees.
Finally i dont believe that intelligence is killing families for money. They might arrest him but they wont kill. Killing for money does the mafia and the mob. And there we are again next to the unspeakable name of London based Mr. N.A., who is worlds most reknown and most popular expert in money laundering, smuggling and political bribery.
I am sure that he was under investigation of several intelligence services, probably even at the scene itself. However, the killers did not come from intelligence but from mafia mob.
However, what was he doing in the middle of nowhere? There must have been a pre arranged meeting either to pay a pending bill or to purchase some new MMTA stuff.
Just thinking then. How on earth did the South African Mi24 jockey, shooting sh*t up in North Africa…find 55 Princes Gate !
If the western powers need to put pressure on Al-Hilli about some dodgy Swiss account why didn’t he receive a visit from the “tax man” back in the UK? They could have easily put the pressure on.
The Sylvain Mollier meeting is the key to this. If you want to commit a robbery, fraud etc. you don’t need a rocket scientist, just a well placed insider.
But the “insider” might have been batting for …. which side?
@BB I have no doubt it was a meet and a lot of what everyone has come up with over the two threads are still relevant, he was meeting someone there!, Brett Martin is still a front for something, Mollier is involved and the family probably where shot by more than one person. Maybe he was using the money to buy something from Mollier and that is why the family where taken out.
The inconsistancies and investigation into companies like Silver Fern are part of this story and the connections SAH had are only known because of the research we have done.
Its still as fishy as the first day I heard about it but we have discovered a lot since then!
@Nobody have you read the articles?
Going back to that 4×4. Why didn’t they burn that out.
I mean France is a big place. A car on fire wouldn’t be big news.
Even the shootings. And Silver Ferns reg office.
For The Sun, this should be childs play.
It’s as though “someone” is taking the p*ss.
@Nobody
Well said.
Plus, no one tailed them to the woods… they were alone there for 45 mins to an hour…
So it’s a robbery, it’s a mighty strange one.
🙂
@Ricki
Thanks for the clarification of how you see this fitting in to the overall picture, adding to the data and theories we already have, rather than displacing them.
It’s as though “someone” is taking the p*ss.
Isn’t it just. Still, if you’re MI5/MI6, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Even kill someone and zip them in a bag, and then claim they did it themselves. It’s all for “national security”, remember?
The french Farmer (lady) said she had seen the motorbike going up and down the road throughout the day! so maybe they had been tailed!
Yes. Your research is very interesting but I think its a wild goose chase. BM is certainly more than he seems, but not SAS. More like Legoland. Those co.s don’t do a wipeout like the al_hilli one.
@Ferret: Grow up. If MI6 had wanted GW dead they would have arranged a lorry to run him over. “Oops – sorry!”.
He was a cyclist – remember?
Also there is a lot to the legend of this guy/family, if someone looked into me the main suspect would be my partner and the cause would be leaving the toilet seat up or squeezing the toothpaste from the middle of the tube!
It isnt a normal situation and they wherent normal tourists!
I agree with Nobody. The SAS wouldn’t do such a thing. For the culprits you need to look at some poor folks having an existential fight and/or living in the worlds last colony with an inhabited area the size of Delaware plus the adjacent Cecil county in Maryland.
[Mod/Jon: updated alias]
James
That is the reason why press does not cover up the full story
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/UK_Parliament_debate:_libel_tourism_and_Nadhmi_Auchi,_17_Dec_2008
Besides that as i want to keep the numers of links low, search wikipedia for Keith Vaz and youll find another answer about how such things are working in the UK.
Mr “unspeakable” is well above the state. Ironically, every path i have investigated so far ends close to mr. unspeakable
“It’s all for “national security”, remember?”
Or the building that fell down, but forgot to have a plane crash into it.
Or the “missing bullet” when the car had actually come to a stand still !
Taking those things then, and the f*ck ups that they actually do, do.
This is what it actually is !
Hired “specials”…and they have gone to town.
Not Iran or Mossad (who needs them !).
This “trade” has been allowed to go on (Operattion Mince Meat)…
…and now they want to stop it. So they did.
Iran knows they have been buying “hooky” gear.
Now this says “yep, we sold it to you..and now we can stop it to” !
Who knows !
Bluebird.
“poised once again to pass a new law to protect its citizens”.
Yep, you got it spot on. Who needs a “DA Notice”.
It brilliant really. The “MSM” have just reported what the French have taold them…of a British operation.
You couldn’t make it up. Perfect.
@JON please can you remove all my posts from today immediatley!
@Nobody
Thanks for the ad hominem.
I’ve had worse from better!
🙂
First of all, what do you mean by “Legoland”? Secret services – a la Anders?
If MI6 had wanted GW dead they would have arranged a lorry to run him over. “Oops – sorry!”.
Of course they *could* have done that, but that wouldn’t have sent much of a message, now would it?
Well, the message would have been “don’t go cycling, it’s dangerous” rather than “don’t f*ck with us, it’s deadly, and we don’t leave traces”.
For the record, I don’t think – and I’m not saying – it’s SAS, and I don’t think I’ve ever said that. A lot of the companies at 55 Princes Gate do have SAS *connections* and BM’s company *is* registered there, but that doesn’t make him SAS. I think he’s more likely to be ex-RAF Regiment, recruited to MI6, or perhaps working freelance.
…and the accounts firm’s name is also brilliant.