Was this industrial espionage, a family dispute, or the perfect crime? | Forensic Files

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[Music] website the afternoon of Wednesday September 5 2012 was a pleasant one in
shalene a small wooded Community located in the French Alps region of ort Savo sharing nearby borders with
Switzerland and Italy the area is known for its Mountain Landscapes and the medieval towns that dot Lake Anese a
sparkling body of water considered to be the cleanest Lake in Europe in the warmer months visitors
from all over flock to the region to bask in the Tranquil surroundings swim in the clear waters and enjoy everything
that lake annesse has to offer British retiree Brett Martin had a holiday house not far from
sherlene he took advantage of the sunny weather and took off on his mountain bike for a leisurely ride through the
village of roughly 207 residents he passed by the sprinkling of Old Country Homes and pastures before
the only thing on either side of him was Woodland about 10 minutes outside of cholene Brett turned onto Kum Deere a
steep uneven road that wound uphill through dense uninhabited forests and ped rushing
streams Brad had done the trip before he knew that there were no other turnoff until the three km Mark when the public
road gave way to a clearing called the martiner this served as a small secluded parking area and was typically used as a
starting point for visitors to explore the surrounding walking tracks and hiking trails it also signaled the end
of the public road from lur martiner Kum Deere became a restricted route marked with a no
entry sign although hikers commonly used the route the only vehicles with authorization to access it were forestry
workers Brett powered on until L martiner clearing was ins sight by this point it was roughly 3:55 p.m. he looked
ahead and noticed something in the middle of the road a lightweight racing bicycle Brett wondered why its owner
would have left it there but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a young dark-haired girl stumbled out
onto the road she she was covered in blood her head and shoulder clearly injured Brett
watched her sway from side to side before she collapsed face first onto the ground
[Music] [Music] Brett rushed to the girl's Aid her eyes were rolling around as though she was
about to lose Consciousness Brett was a former Royal Air Force pilot and he used his first
aid knowledge to gently move the girl off the road and place her in the recovery
position that's when he noticed the maroon BMW Series 5 station wagon stopped to the left of the parking area
facing the road the same vehicle had passed Brett just a few minutes earlier he'd remembered it
because it had British license plates and it was right hand to drive now its engine was revving as one
of its rear wheels spun in a mound of gravel on the ground in front of the BMW a middle-aged man was lying in a pool of
blood Brett recognized the man as the owner of the discarded bicycle the two had passed one another
to towards the start of Kum Deere Brad had initially tried to keep up with the other cyclist but had given up and
lingered back at his own pace thinking that the cyclist and car must have collided Brett's immediate
thought was that the revving bam W could Lurch forward at any moment and cause further injury to the
psychist he rushed to move the man out of the way only to realize that he hadn't been hit by the car at all he'd
been shot multiple times in the head Brett realized that the BMW's windows were riddled with bullet holes he moved
closer only to see that the interior of the vehicle was covered with blood inside a middle-aged male was
slumped over in the driver's seat in the back seat was a middle-aged woman with an elderly woman beside
her all three had been shot in the head brat smashed the bullet ridden driver side window and reached in to
turn off the ignition he took out his mobile phone to call for help but there was no
reception he faced a dilemma did he leave the wounded girl there or did he attempt to take her with him and risk
worsening her injuries scared that the shooter was still in the area and could Target him
next Brett got back on his bike and rode for help leaving the injured girl by the
side of the road [Music] within minutes Brett Martin encountered a car full of French hikers who were
able to get a mobile signal and summon Emergency Services paramedics rescue personnel and
teams of police sped to the area the wounded girl was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition as doctors
assessed her injuries they realized that she'd received a gunshot wound to the shoulder before being brutally beaten in
the head her orbital bone was was fractured and her skull was cracked resulting in a traumatic brain
injury the girl was put into an induced coma while serons tried desperately to save her
life but there was nothing to be done for the cyclist or those inside the BMW all four were pronounced the dead at
the scene a cursory search of the woods surrounding the crime scene was conducted with a helicopter passing
overhead nothing was found to indicate the shooter was still in the area police at the scene decided it was
best to wait for the specialist forensic team to arrive from Paris before examining the interior of the
vehicle the car windows were so badly cracked by bullet holes that a single movement could cause one to collapse
thus damaging crucial evidence the deceased psychist still had his wallet on him which led to him being
identified as 45-year-old Silvan molier the quiet and reserved father of three lived just 20 km east of shalene in the
small town of uen silvan's partner CLA had recently given birth to a baby boy a dedicated
father Silvan had taken extended paternity Le from his job as a production worker to take care of his
young son and two teenage children from a previous marriage syvan was a keen cyclist who
enjoyed riding the local trails that afternoon he'd wanted to try a new route so he headed up the Kum Deere Road
at the recommendation of cla's Father the British registered BMW was traced back to L Solita Dak a campsite
roughly 14 km north of Kum DEA the occupants of the BMW were identified as 50-year-old sad Al hilly an Iraqi born
British citizen who lived in the English Village of claygate the two women in the the back
seat were his wife 47-year-old Iraqi born ikbal Al hilly and ik bal's 74-year-old mother sua Al alaf the
injured girl was the couple's 7-year-old daughter Zab a caravan registered to sard Al
hilly remained exactly where the family had left it parked alongside their tent the owner of the campsite told the
police that the alhilly family had checked in the previous day of Tuesday September before they'd actually arrived
in the area on Saturday but had stayed at a different campsite for two nights before moving to L Solitaire
dlac the owner recalled nothing unusual about the family's Behavior sad had asked about good
walking trails in the area to which the owner had recommended the general area around Sherene but hadn't signaled out a
specific location other guests told the police that the alhilly seemed like an ordinary
family on vacation the guests who were camping next to them recalled the two little
girls playing happily when the questioning officers heard this they froze two little
girls there had only been one young girl found at the crime scene 7-year-old Zab there was only one child seat inside
the BMW so investigators hadn't even thought to check the vehicle for a second child cursory Searchers of the
area hadn't revealed any sign of another victim this left two possibilities either the second alhilly
daughter had run into the woods to escape the shooter and was still out there somewhere or she'd been
abducted by this point it was nearing midnight authorities had been gathered at the crime scene for close to 8 hours
The Specialist forensic team had just arrived from Paris and one officer finally opened the back door of the BM
W there cing silently underneath ikbal Al Hilly's skirt was her 4-year-old daughter
Zena the young girl was terrified but unharmed for 8 hours she'd been frozen in fear unable to grasp the Carnage that
had taken place around her smiling with relief at finally being found Zena looked up and
said where's Mommy I want my money me at no point during the attack had Zena exited the car so she couldn't tell
the investigators much all she remembered was hearing loud noises before quickly hiding on the
floor investigators hoped her older sister would be more helpful but whether zanab would recover remained to be
seen in the meantime the priority remained on catching the killer if the shooting was a random
attack conducted by a deranged individual a quick arrest was needed to stop them from striking
again the deceased inside the BMW was still in possession of their wallets mobile phones and a digital camera this
ruled out robbery as a motive for the killings but strangely their passports were nowhere to be found either in their
car or at their campsite a forensic search for fingerprints DNA or any any other Clues
came up empty all the police had to go by were the spent bullet casings 21 of which were found at the
scene using the ballistics and limited physical evidence investigators deduced that after arriving at L martiner sard
and 7-year-old zanab likely got out of the car perhaps to examine a map of the area that was posted to the side of the
parking spot at the same time svan molier cycled up unbeknownst to all of them the shooter was hiding nearby
likely in a nearby Gully or the surrounding trees suddenly the shots began it was unclear who was shot first
but one bullet struck sard in the back while another knocked svan to the ground sard then ran back to his bam W
yelling at little Zab to do the same slamming and locking the door he reversed in a semicircle Direction
trying desperately to escape the onslaught in the process he clipped Silvan molier sard's retire got stuck in a
mount of dirt leaving his family Stranded the shooter then approached the vehicle from their Hiding Place with
careful callous Precision they shot sad ikbal and suala through the side windows both sad and ikbal was shot four
times while suala sustained three gunshots all three of them were shot twice directly in the middle of the
forehead the killer then returned their attention to Silvan molier pulling the trigger four more
times they stood over his body shooting him execution style directly between the
eyes investigators weren't sure at what point 7-year-old Zab was shot judging by
the injuries to her head the killer had likely either run out of bullets or their gun had jamed before they were
able to finish what they started instead they used the barrel of the gun to bash the child over the
head the entire Ambush likely lasted less than 60 seconds of the 21 shots fired during that time 17 of them had
hit the victims in the attack on zanab a piece of grip from the gun handle had broken
off coupled with the bullet casings this allowed investigators to identify the murder weapon as a semi-automatic luga
P6 the Swiss model service pistol had been a standard issue to members of the Swiss Army and police in the 1920s and
30s it was an odd choice for a shooting spree the kind of gun more likely to be found in a museum or private collection
rather than used to commit a brutal crime despite its age it was still considered
to be an incredibly accurate and reliable weapon allowing up to 48 shots to be fired in under 30
seconds only eight cartridges could be loaded at once with 21 shots fired this meant that
the L martiner Shooter had reloaded twice during the attack given that they'd managed to do
so while hitting all of their targets and without hitting the body of the moving BMW police were certain of one
thing whoever was responsible was an experienced and skilled shooter who fully intended to hit each one of their
[Music] victims news of the slang spread throughout the Anese region where violent crimes were mostly unheard of
cholene and its surroundings were considered incredibly safe the type of place where residents didn't bother to
lock their doors there were only 70 homes in sherlene making it easy for police to question
every household other than Brad Martin nobody had witnessed anything that could be of
use to the investigation or had suspicions about who the perpetrator might be except for a trio of Forestry
workers as reported exclusively by BBC's Panorama program one forestry worker was
driving down Kum Deere Road shortly before the shootings when they passed Al mtin a parking area to the left of the
clearing they saw a large motorcycle pulled over on the side of the road it was black and white with paniers
on the side the driver was dressed all in black including a distinct Dark Helmet with a visar that was pulled down
covering their face completely as the forestry worker continued down the public portion of the
road they soon passed another vehicle a metallic gray BMW four-wheel drive they believed it to be British as
it was right-hand drive the car was in good clean condition and was being driven by a
slightly barding male with dark skin the forestry worker was taken aback by how fast the car was driving on the
narrow road 10 minutes later two other forestry workers were coming down the restricted
Road above L martiner when they too crossed paths with the large black and white
motorcycle given that public Vehicles were forbidden from entering this section of the road they waved the
motorcyclist down the rider's helmet was distinct in that it had a hinged visor that could be
opened sideways to allow the wearer to hold a conversation without having to remove their
helmet the rider pulled the visor across revealing he was a white male with a goaty and heavy
brow he said nothing as the forestry workers told him to turn around around and drive back
down brat Martin the psychist who discovered the bodies had also seen this motorcycle coming down the Kum Deere
Road as he struggled up the hill just before 3:55 p.m. Brett didn't recall seeing the
metallic gray BMW but he did have a vague recollection of a large four-wheel drive passing him at some point along
his journey based on these timings it was deduced that brat had stumbled upon the
crime scene within a mere minute of the shootings he hadn't heard any of the gunshots because the sound had been
masked by the white noise of the Rushing River the only people who had heard the
shots were a local Father and Son but they hadn't given it much thought hunting season was coming up so they
just assumed Hunters were out testing their rifles neither brat nor the trio of French hikers who arrived at the scene
shortly after after the shooting recalled seeing anyone pass them down the hill this presented two
possibilities either the man on the motorcycle was the Killer and he' brazenly fled via the public road even
after knowing he'd been spotted in the area or the killer was someone else entirely and they'd fled via the woods
or the restricted route just around the bend from the marer although the rough narrow road was
clearly marked with a no entry s it was still easily accessible a person on foot
motorcycle bike or four-wheel drive could have made their way down the rugged terrain to the other side of the
mountain within an hour even a regular car could have made the journey if the driver was willing to
accept pothole damage to their vehicle from there there were plenty of possible Escape Routes with Italy and
Switzerland just a short distance away police considered whether the motorcyclist could have been working in
conjunction with the metallic gray four-wheel drive a suspect sketch was drawn up based on the forestry workers
recollection but police decided to withhold the image out of fear that it could spook the motorcyclist and send
him on the Run less than 48 hours after the shooting the crime scene was teeming
with local lent International media this was a major news story and the public were hungry for
information local police have been Sworn to Silence and the only individual involved with the French investigation
who was allowed to speak publicly about the case was ansy prosecutor Eric Mayu Mayu confirmed to the press that
the police were working hard to determine a motive all they knew for certain was that quote it was clearly an
act of extreme savagery and it was obvious that who did this wanted to kill the the French President vowed that
everything would be done to find the person responsible given that the crime was
committed on French soil against British citizens French authorities joined investigators from the UK to try and
answer the prevailing question was this a random attack or did someone want the alhilly family dead
[Music] for sad Al hilly one of life's greatest Pleasures was spending quality time with
his family he'd met his wife ikbal 9 years prior in Abu Dhabi where ikbal had been living at the time they married
quickly and moved into sard's childhood home in the British Village of claygate where they settled down to raise a
family ikbal put her career as a dentist on hold to be stay-at-home mom to their
two young daughters the trip to the French Alps had been a spur of the- moment decision sad had
business to tend to in the Swiss city of Geneva which was just across the border
from Anese even though Zab and Zena were due to return to school after summer holidays sad recognized it as an
opportunity for a short Family Getaway he adored France and had stayed in the Alps region a few times
before it also gave him an opportunity to take his beloved Caravan out on the Road sard worked as a freelance engineer
and he had a hobby for tinkering with mechanical Parts he developed a passion for caravanning after He restored a
damaged Caravan to its former glory he'd since purchased a new one and jumped at
any chance to use it sometimes he'd take his family to stay at the local campsite
just 10 mi from their home just to enjoy a change of scenery the family invited ik bal's
mother sua Al alaf to join them on their last minute French getaway the 74-year-old lived in Sweden
but was staying with her other daughter who lived an hour away from the AL hilles in Southern
England once word got out that the victims lived in claygate the meteor attention in Britain was
immense claygate was an affluent family oriented suburb 14 Mi Southwest of London a local family being the targets
of an international shooting was Sensational news both of sard's parents had passed
away in recent years but reporters gathered outside the flat of his only sibling older brother zahed AR hilly
zahed couldn't think of anyone who would want to harm sad or his family likewise other friends of the
family confirmed there was nothing UNT war in the alhilly household sard and ikbal were both kind and gentle and
their children were happy and well adjusted however there was one family member who
raised some red flags ik Bell's brother haar lived in Sweden with their mother suala and was
schizophrenic as a result of his mental illness reports revealed that haah had a
history of threatening and beating suala and that she lived in constant fear of him investigators considered whether
haar's mental instability could have led him to orchestrate the shooting they looked into his whereabouts at the
time of the crime only to learn that he'd been receiving psychiatric treatment in England when the murders
occurred giving him an airtight [Music] Alibi although sad had been living in the UK since he was a young boy and was
legally considered a British citizen his ethnic Origins were examined in detail anasty prosecutor Eric Mayu told
reporters the fact that he was born in Iraq that he had family in Iraq of course that's
something that is of interest and we are asking ourselves if there is a link between that and his
death a search of the ailles Caravan at Les Solita duac campsite revealed that sad had been traveling with a laptop and
several thumb drives when investigators checked the contents they found numerous
files filled with technical data and sensitive information relating to some freelance work sard had been doing for a
British company that sold satellites the data he'd saved went well beyond what was required for his job his
laptop also had tracking software installed on it which meant anyone with access to it could trace his
movements given his connections with Iraq investigators considered whether sad could have been selling the
satellite technology and other industry secrets to countries who wanted to use them against the wst perhaps he'd traded
secrets and been killed to ensure his silence or he'd refused to hand the information over and had been targeted
as a result sard's employers denied that he was involved with any confidential projects there was nothing in his job
that carried any risk nor did it require him to sign the official Secrets act those who knew sad were incredulous
at the suggestion that he could be involved with industrial espion Arch he was a hardworking devoted father who
enjoyed cycling and playing badminton in his spare time and was always willing to
help out a friend or neighbor in need sad was also outspoken and enjoyed debating his sociopolitical views so he
would have made a lousy spy there was no way he was involved in top secret work but for sard's neighbor Phillip
news of sard's death immediately brought him back to 2003 at the time the US and British
Armed Forces had just invaded Iraq the police had approached Philip and asked if they could use his driveway
to keep watch of the alil home they spent all day parked there watching the house where sad and his
brother zahed were living together at the time anytime sard drove away the undercover police followed him Philip
never knew why that were watching the brothers nor did he ever warn them that they were being spied on but it left him
curious on Saturday September 8th 2012 3 days after the shootings officers made their way inside the two-story mock
Judah home belonging to the alhilly family They confiscated various items of computer equipment sad had converted the
garden shed behind the house into a makeshift office and several potentially hazardous items were found inside that
made officers nervous the bomb squad was called in as a precautionary measure and the property
was cordoned off while nearby residents were forced to evacuate it was a false alarm none of
the items turned out to be dangerous however there were a couple of other things that raised
suspicion inside the house police found a taser the weapon was illegal and it seemed strange that a quiet family with
no enemies would be armed with such a protective item furthermore the locks on the house had recently been changed and
a new security alarm system had been installed whatever the reason it appeared that sard Al hilly was nervous
about something as investigators hustled to pce together a clear picture of sad and
his background 7-year-old Zab El hilly woke up from from her induced coma the young girl was making a strong
recovery but was still in a very delicate State investigators had to tread carefully when questioning
her Zab recalled that on the day of the murders her father had asked what she'd rather do that day go shopping in town
or go for a walk in the woods Zab chose the ladder Beyond arriving at lur martiner
and getting out of the car with her father Zab didn't remember anything except seeing quote one bad
man although she couldn't be sure zanab also thought she might have seen a silhouette zanab was given the green
light to return to the UK both she and her younger sister Zena were held at a secret location and
placed under strict police protection psychologists believed that Zab likely remembered more about the
attack but been so traumatized that her brain couldn't yet process the information investigators had to accept
that their star witness didn't hold the key to solving the crime instead they sourced archive
images of the shalene region from every satellite company in Europe and studied the stills from the day of the
shootings they obtained CCTV footage from the route the alhilly family would have taken from claygate to their
Campsite in France combing through footage captured from gas stations toall roads and Ferry terminals for a glimpse
of the family's maroon BMW they compared still images to see if the BMW was being tailed but at no point
did the same vehicle appear behind the family twice that didn't rule out the possibility that someone had tracked
their movements and followed them from their campsite up the K Deere Road but had they done so they would have had to
have sound local knowledge of the area to be able to facilitate a quick getaway without being
seen either the killer was a local which also explained their use of a local firearm or they' done extensive research
of the area beforehand 8 days into the investigation French prosecutor Eric Mayu told
reporters that although the motive and perpetrator's identity remained unclear there was no doubt that the reasons for
the crime originated in England the theory that sard was involved with industrial Espionage gained traction and
became a gold mine for the British tabloids while the authorities continued to follow this as a genuine possibility
another more plausible lead emerged the previous September sad had written a letter to a childhood friend
following the death of his father in it he talked about his relationship with his older brother
zahed sad wrote zahed and I do not communicate anymore as he is another control freak and tried a lot of
underhanded things even when my father was alive he tried to take control of Father's assets and demanded
control it's a long story and I have just had to wipe him out of my life sad but I need to concentrate now on my wife
and two lovely girls in contrast zahed Al hilly told the British investigators that he and his
brother had a good relationship after Zed's wife passed away from ovarian cancer in 2007 sad
invited zahed to temporarily move in with his wife and daughters in claygate zahid's adult son had left home
and Assad thought it would do his brother good to be surrounded by loved ones during his time of
grief zahed ended up staying for over a year during which he cherished getting to bond with the Zab and
Deena the brothers falling out was confirmed by other friends of ss it all started when their father
cardim Al hilly passed away in August 2011 at the time of his death cardim lived in Spain he left his estate to his
two sons who would receive a 50/50 split of the claygate home as well as Kim's Spanish flat given that sad and his
family were already living in the claygate property which was valued at around £800,000
zahed wanted sad to buy him out zahed also wanted to increase his share of the Spanish flat to
75% sad felt this was totally unfair and refused to accept Zed's demands tensions escalated and things
came to a head in October of 2011 zahed was still living in the claygate home at the time but was
looking for his own place to move into a physical altercation broke out between the two brothers that resulted in sad
calling the police shortly after sad changed the locks the brothers both obtained lawyers
to represent their interests in their father's estate and all future contact was handled by
mediators sad ordered a freeze on his father's will ensuring That zahed Couldn't claim any of the money until
the dispute was resolved in an online chat with his friend James Sad called zahed an [ __ ]
who was motivated by greed he said he had reason to believe zahed was involved in tax evasion and fraud and was
prepared to use the information against Zed if need be sad also told James that some valuable items went missing from
his home while zahed was living there which is why he changed the locks when sad was killed he hadn't spoken to
his brother in almost a year the fact that zahed had initially T police that the two had a good relationship raised
major red flags for investigators when confronted with the evidence that indicated otherwise zahed
conceded that there were Financial disputes but maintained that the two were otherwise
close he denied being involved in a feud with his brother saying that their disagreement regarding money wasn't
personal zahed had a verified Alibi for the day of the murders he had been at the seaside with a friend eating ice
cream and browsing the local shops while this proved Zed wasn't the one who pulled the trigger it led police
to question whether he could have organized someone else to carry out the attack on his
behalf the slangs had all the Hallmarks of a professional hit a precise experienced gunman firing rounds into
the forehead of each of his victims but if Zed and sad weren't talking how would a hired killer know to
find the ales in that secluded part of the French Alps the luga pistol was the only
tangible clue but there were roughly 30,000 of these weapons in Switzerland alone given that the murder scene was 30
mi from the Swiss border and the gun used was Swiss authorities in Geneva were also brought in to
assist they discovered that the business sard Al hilly intended to take care of in Switzerland related to a private bank
account held in his father's name sad had called the bank on Monday 2 days before his death and spoke of his
intentions to visit this was noteworthy given there had been questionable activity on the account in the
past sard's father cardim Al had set up the account in 1988 making a sizable deposit that was now Worth close to €1
million the account had barely been touched since which is why One Bank employee flagged it as strange when
someone in England applied for a credit card linked to the account just one year
before cardine passed away the employee examined the application form and noticed that the
applicant signature differed from the one they had on file the bank contacted cardim who denied ever making the
request a Swiss prosecutor publicly stated that the person who fraudulently tried to acquire the credit card was
none other than zahed Al hilly he claimed that zahed had forged his father's signature in an attempt to
gain access to the money in the Geneva account speaking to journalist Tom Perry for his book The Perfect Crime zahed
strongly denied this alleg maintaining that his father had been the one who applied for the credit
card regardless the Revelation that the ailles had a so-called secret bank account in Switzerland immediately added
to the speculation surrounding the case if the family had nothing to hide some wondered why they were squirreling money
away in an offshore account 6 and a half weeks after the shootings sad ikbal and suala were laid
to rest in a private ceremony held in the Shia Muslim section of Brookwood Cemetery 20 mi north of claygate with
armed guards keeping watch Days Later readers of French newspaper lont opened their papers to find The Sensational
headline the potential links between the AL Hillis and Saddam Hussein according to the article the
Swiss bank account had led the German secret service to uncover a link between kadim Al hilly and the former Iraqi
dictator shortly before Saddam Hussein's execution in 200 2006 he reportedly withdrew over 600 million from the Iraqi
Central Bank and deposited in secret bank accounts around the world including Switzerland the money smuggling was
thought to be assisted by Iraqi Nationals who lived abroad lemond theorized that kadim could
have worked as one of Saddam Hussein's conduits and Assad had gotten himself killed by trying to access the
money those close to the alhilly family scoffed at what they saw to be malicious
rumors it was because of Saddam Hussein's regime that the alh hilles had been forced to flee Iraq in the first
place kadim had been a successful lawyer turned businessman he'd amassed a healthy profit selling tissue paper and
poultry any money he'd hidden away was well and truly earned to suggest he'd helped laund money for the dictator was
hurtful to the surviving [Music] relatives this wild Theory quickly disappeared from the headlines but it
contributed to the growing narrative that sad was involved in some kind of Nefarious activity that had contributed
to the murders it was also revealed that he'd held some radical political beliefs
which he'd shared online in various Arabic chat forums this led to public speculation
that sad could have been the victim of a state sponsored assassination a theory fueled by the fact that both sad and ik
bal's passports were still nowhere to be found police had searched their home car
and Caravan as well as police stations lost and found offices and hotels along the Route the alhilly family had taken
on their holiday but the passports had mysteriously disappeared some speculated that the killer could
have taken them as some kind of trophy or proof of their hit similar assassinations had been
carried out in the past but those involved had been associated with Weaponry development or the military and
were deemed to be a threat to National Security there was nothing in s's background to indicate he fit this bill
furthermore if a Hitman really did want sard dead it didn't make sense that they
would also attack his wife mother-in-law and children while some investigators were
convinced that the crime had the Hallmarks of a contract killing others thought otherwise if the killer was a
professional Skeptics to the Hitman Theory wondered why the shooter had used such an Antiquated
weapon the fact that they'd managed not to hit the moving BMW proved their proficiency as a shooter but their first
shots had missed sard when he was standing outside of the vehicle if sard really was the intended
target the shooter had botched the hit from the very beginning also sad ikbal and suala had
all been stuck in the car making them easy targets for the gunmen standing directly
outside anyone with decent firearm proficiency was capable of shooting them at such close
range investigators consider whether sard could have been lured to L martiner by someone under false
pretenses his phone and emails records were checked but nothing was found to indicate a pre-planned
meeting a guest who was staying at the same campsite as the AL hilles recalled seeing sad having a heated exchange with
a man of Bulan appearance although this interaction couldn't be verified it fueled
speculation that a contract killer could have traveled from the Former Yugoslav it was rumored that Eastern European
Hitmen could reportedly be hired on the dark web for as little as a few hundred these men had been hardened
during armed conflicts and some were willing to use their lethal expertise for financial gain it was possible that
a master Contract Killer could have traveled to France via Road executed the hit and then disappeared back into their
home country as quickly as they came without drawing any attention to themselves
eles for investigators the financial dispute between the alil brothers gave zahed a compelling motive to want sard
and his family out of the picture but if Zed had hired someone to perform the hit why hadn't the gunman
completed the job by killing Zab and Zena the surviving daughters would inherit sard's estate meaning zahed had
very little to gain while all of these theories were compelling none of them quite added up this left
investigators with no choice but to consider another possibility entirely what if sard wasn't the
intended target after [Music] all ikbal Al hilly had become a secondary player in this giant media
story that centered mostly around her husband at first glance she was a quiet reserved stay-at-home mother who put
great importance on her Muslim faith but as police looked into Wick Bell's background they discovered she harbored
a secret on sard and ik bal's marriage certificate ikbal listed herself as previously unmarried but this wasn't
true not only had ikal been married before she was still legally married at the time that she and sad tied the night
in 2003 in 1999 ikbal had moved to the United States to pursue a Dentistry job before long a friend introduced her to a
man named Jimmy Thompson an oil worker and harleydavidson Enthusiast 20 years her
senior the two hit it off and married quickly ikbal moved into Jimmy's house in Louisiana where she embraced a
western lifestyle she went by the name Kelly and spent her spare time running and
barbecuing with the Jimmy's Family by the pool ikbal and Jimmy were happily married for 18 months after which ikbal
suddenly left the US and returned to Abu Dhabi some believe she was simply homesick While others think she was
under pressure from her family to marry a Muslim man and take on a more traditional
role it has also been speculated that her marriage to Jimmy was purely one of convenience so that ikbal could obtain a
US green card whatever the reason it wasn't long before rck Bal and Assad were reportedly
introduced by family members as part of a mutually agreed upon arranged marriage as far as any of the AL hilles
friends in England were aware sad had no idea that he was ik bal's second husband they were shocked to learn that
ikbal had lived a westernized somewhat outgoing life in the United States as this was completely out of character for
the conservative woman they knew in England she mostly kept to herself and was incredibly shy she
didn't even drive or go out to do the shopping investigators were curious to learn why ikbal had suddenly departed
from the United States they attempted to make contact with the Jimmy Thompson in Louisiana
only to make another shocking Discovery Jimmy had passed away on the very same day that ikbal had been killed
medical records stated that the overweight Jimmy had died of a heart attack while driving but when his family
learned that ikbal had been murdered just hours beforehand they began to ask questions an official autopsy had never
been conducted on Jimmy so what if he hadn't died of natural causes after all as reported in the book The Perfect
Crime Jimmy's sister Judy was aware that ikbal and Jimmy had kept in touch via email
this contradicted reports from the AL hilles friends in England who said ikbal was a technophobe who refused to let sad
set her up with an email address according to Judy when she went to check Jimmy's email all of his
messages had been erased the FBI got involved to explore the possibility that Jimmy Thompson's
death was somehow linked to his ex-wife's murder they even considered exhuming his body to conduct an official
autopsy But ultimately there was nothing to support the theory that Jimmy's death
was connected to the French shooting the fact that both he and his ex-wife had both died on the same day
was deemed a mere coincidence regardless the fact that ikbal had managed to conceal a secret
marriage left some wondering what other secrets she might be hiding very little was known about ik
bal's mother Hala Al laugh the 74-year-old widowed mother of four lived in the suburbs of Stockholm having moved
to Sweden from Iraq in the mid 1980s with her husband Abdul and their son haa she was reportedly a quied and
private person investigators hadn't been able to ascertain the exact reason why she had
decided to join the AL hilles on their last minute French holiday due to her age and The Limited
background information about her suala wasn't an obvious choice when it came to investigators trying to determine which
one of the victims had been the intended target but some suspicious elements quickly emerged that meant she couldn't
be crossed off entirely according to the book The Perfect Crime a search of sua's personal
computer revealed that it was fitted with spyware this meant that whoever had access to the spyware was able to
remotely view every move that suala made on on the computer installing the software would
have required technological skills that suala wasn't known to possess this raised the question of why
anyone would want to keep tabs on the elderly woman's online movements bank records didn't reveal her
to be a wealthy woman which made it even more confusing when sua's home in Sweden
was ransacked in the aftermath of the shootings several items were stolen including an assortment of personal
documents and bank records investigators weren't prepared to close the door on any lines of
inquiry but the possibility that suala was the Target and her daughter's family somehow got tied up in it went to the
bottom of the list another possibility was much more plausible from the outset of the
investigation the family of the murdered cyclist Silvan molier had requested complete privacy to mourn his loss in
peace because of this very little was known about him French investigators were confident
that Silvan had just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time others weren't so
sure Silvan had sustained more gunshots than any other victim five in total and he was the only victim who lived
locally for British investigators it therefore made sense to consider that silver van could have been the target
while the AL Hillis were collateral damage instead of the other way around until having recently taken an
extended period of paternity leave Silvan molier worked at sazus a factory just outside of anes that produced a
nuclear components some wondered whether svan could have been selling nuclear secrets
to other nations and had gotten in over his head or angered an enemy who wanted to put a stop to his involvement
it was even speculated that Silvan knew sad and the two were conspiring together
to S both their satellite and nuclear secrets but Silvan simply worked as a welder for cus he wasn't privy to any
classified information there was nothing in his phone or email records to indicate that
he'd arranged to meet anyone at L martiner nor was there any evidence that he and sad had ever crossed paths
before it also turned out that sard wasn't the only one allegedly embroiled in a bit of Feud over
money the Sunday Times newspaper looked into silvan's background and discovered that his partner CLA was from a wealthy
local family CLA had recently received ownership of her father's Pharmacy which was valued at just over1
million according to the newspaper cla's family felt that svan was taking advantage of their wealth and sponging
off their daughter when Silvan announced he was going to be taking up to three years off work and effectively living
off cla's income tensions reached a boiling point on the day of the shooting cla's father recommended Silvan take the
rude up Kum dear French investigators considered the possibility that this could have been
part of an intentional plan to rid Silvan of any claim to the family fortune but cla's family weren't nearly
as well off as reporters had claimed CLA hadn't been given the pharmacy she had taken a loan out from her father and
was paying it back slowly furthermore she and Silvan weren't married meaning he wouldn't have
been legally entitled to any of her money the theory was ruled out it was impossible for forensic
investigators to determine which of the four victims had been shot first but in one interpretation Silvan had sustained
the first bullet if true it was logical to assume that he could have been the intended
target but if money wasn't the issue what was a friend of Silvan spoke to French
newspaper lour sabua on the condition of anonymity they claimed that Silvan was known to be a bit of a ladyes man
according to the friend svan had once confided that quote he felt he had to be careful while
walking down the street because he feared he would be shot French investigators considered
whether svan could have been killed by a jealous spouse in a crime of passion but
there was no evidence to indicate that his behavior extended Beyond harmless flirtation Anese prosecutor Eric Mayu
told journalist Tom Perry we have examined his life from every possible angle in every aspect and
we have found nothing which explains to us why anyone would want to get at this man the French remained convinced that
the answer to all their questions most likely lay with the British victims but after extensive investigations another
credible Theory started to gain serious traction what if no one had been targeted and all of the victims had
simply been in the wrong place at the wrong [Music] time it was entirely possible that a
lone mentally ill gunman familiar with the area might have been lurking in weight ready to launch an attack on
whoever was unfortunate enough to stumble upon Martine first it might have been entirely
coincidental that a carload of people and Al lone cyclist just so happened to arrive at the same
time if the murders were the result of a random opportunistic attack the perpetrator's firearm proficiency
indicated they might have been ex-military or a member of of law enforcement and legally licensed to own
a gun investigators in both France and Switzerland examined psychiatric records on the lookout for anyone with a
military background who also displayed homicidal Tendencies they tracked down recently
released patients with prior convictions for gun violence or access to weapons but didn't find anyone who fit the
bill police also considered the possibility that the motorcyclist and the occupant of the mysterious
four-wheel drive had met at L martiner to complete a drug deal or other illegal Handover both svan and the AL hilles
might have unexpectedly Disturbed the transaction and been killed as a result this theory was quickly ruled out
as the Sleepy remote town of sherlene was a highly unlikely place for a serious drug
deal in France there were ongoing tensions between the Muslim Christian and Jewish community
which led to speculation that the murders were an islamophobic hate crime some theorize that a local racist
experienced with Firearms might have simply spotted the alhilly family holidaying in Lake Anese and singled
them out due to their middle eastern background but if this was the case it didn't fit the typical bill for this
type of attack if the gunman was motivated by race or religion investigators expected
that they would have taken credit for for the shootings in some capacity whatever the truth prosecutor
Mayu concluded to GQ magazine that the target quote was one the other or neither months passed with over 40
officers dedicated to the case despite the thorough investigation all police had were unsubstantiated
theories the public remained gripped with all the wild stories about spies assassinations and foreign Secrets
becoming the perfect fter for Tabloid Headlines by April 2013 7 months had passed with no breakthroughs in the case
French investigators remained convinced that the alhilly connection held the key
to solving the crime zahed alhilly was reinterviewed he maintained that the Fallout with his brother had been
nothing more than a financial discrepancy for which he held no significant Grudge
he said he loved sard and was heartbroken by the tragedy which he wanted solved as much as
anyone but when Zed was summoned to France to act as a witness he flat out refused Zed was vocal about his distrust
for the French authorities he felt they were using the financial matters between
himself and sad to deflect from the truth that the crime had its origins in France if Zed traveled across the
English Channel he feared the authorities would find a way to plant his DNA at the crime
scene zahed told GQ Magazine to be honest with you if the French authorities told me the sun rises
in the East and sets in the west I would think they were lying Zed wasn't legally obligated to
obey the French summons unless they had compelling evidence against him so at the advice of his lawyer he ignored it
completely this did nothing but add weight to the suspicion against him if zahed had nothing to hide the belief was
that he'd do anything to assist with the investigation police obtained Zed's phone records from 2012 and noticed
something out of the ordinary in the 3 weeks leading up to the ansy shootings numerous phone calls
had been made to and received from five different numbers in Romania the calls had stopped abruptly
after the murders the numbers couldn't be immediately traced leading investigators to wonder
what reason Zed had to be calling the Balan country Zed flat out denied making the
calls and had no explanation for them this coupled with his initial denial that there was any conflict between
himself and Assad along with his refusal to cooperate with the French investigation brought things to a
crescendo on Monday June 24th 4 2013 9 months after the shootings two British detectives visited Zed at his flat and
placed him under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder a team of police searched his
flat but found nothing to link him to the crime zahed was released on bail the following day which under UK law didn't
require a monetary Bond it simply required Z to continue living at his current address and stay away from any
other potential Witnesses zahed maintained that he never called anyone in Romania French investigators looked back
over their records and realized he was right The Unexplained calls had actually been made by sard
himself but months of Investigation failed to uncover a single shred of evidence linking Zed alhilly to the
murders his bail conditions were lifted with a spokesperson for the British police announcing
at this stage there is insufficient evidence to charge him with any criminal offense and no further police action is
being taken at this time French prosecutor Eric Mayu clarified this does not mean that we're
finished with zed Al hilly nor that he is Innocent by the one-year anniversary of
the shootings more than 3 and a half thousand statements had been taken with lines of inquiry being followed in 23
different countries with the investigation back to Square 1 in early November 2013 French
authorities finally decided to release the suspect sketch of the motorcyclist the forestry workers had seen near L
martiner right before the shootings they'd been working hard behind the scenes to identify the
distinct dark colored helmet the ryer had been wearing in the hopes this could lead them to its
owner the unusual style of helmet had been produced by a French company called GPA and there were only 8,000 of the
dark colored models in circulation detectives attempted to track each and every one of them down
they spoke to retailers and motorcycle clubs monitored online sales and searched the homes of people who were
known to own such helmets but nothing LED them to the mysterious L martiner motorcyclist the decision to release the
suspect SC paid off a local who saw the image thought the motorcyclist bore a strong physical resemblance to
48-year-old Eric deru a married father of three who lived just a few miles north of the crime
scene known as an eccentric Outdoorsman deru had strong knowledge of the woods surrounding the murder scene and was
familiar with the local mountain routs police looked into Eric deru and discovered that his was one of 4,000
mobile phones that had pinged off the nearest phone tower on the day of the murders not only did that put him in the
area at the time of the shootings a background check revealed that in the weeks leading up to the crime deru had
applied for a firearm permit he'd previously received combat training as part of his role as a French military
reserve and had recently been fired from his job as a municipal police officer due to alleged
misconduct it was also reported that he held racist views on Tuesday February 18 2014 a team
of police officers aided by members of an Elite Tactical Unit raided Eric der wasu's home as well as a property owned
by his in-laws they discovered a collection of approximately 40 weapons most of which
were related to the second world war and some which hadn't been obtained legally they also uncovered similar
ammunition to the that used in the luga pistol outside deras su's home a yellow tarpulin was draped over a large
item police lifted it up to reveal an old black and gray motorcycle both the bike and deras su's
helmet were taken away for further examination while officers searched his back garden with a metal
detector Eric adasu was taken into police custody and questioned for 4 days but he didn't reveal anything that
linked him to the ansy shootings nor was anything discovered in the search to connect him to the
crimes Witnesses who had seen the motorcycle near L martiner on the day of the murders were shown der wasu's
motorbike and concluded it wasn't the same one he was released without charge 6 months later the clothing sard
Al hilly had been wearing at the time he was killed was re examined in his jacket
pocket investigators made an unexpected Discovery there they found the missing passports belonging to sad and
dibal zahed Al hilly accused the police of incompetence telling the BBC it seems that the jacket has been in
the lab for a year and a half and no one bothered to search it so what other evidence have they
missed it was a sentiment echoed by others with almost 2 years passing and no significant developments in the case
some questioned whether the police had blundered the investigation from the get-go when members of the media had
first arrived at the crime scene the police Cordon had been temporarily brought down so that camera operators
and news reporters could wander throughout the parking area and capture their desired
footage this led to accusations that vital evidence could have been missed or compromised
furthermore Brett Martin the witness who discovered the shootings wasn't even interviewed when police arrived at L
martiner despite being covered in blood by the time police asked to take Brett's clothing as evidence several
days had passed and he'd already washed it while Brett wasn't involved in any way it added weight to criticisms that a
thorough job hadn't been done from the start GQ journalist Shan Flynn remarked you would think that quadruple homicides
particularly those involving middleclass professionals on vacation would get sorted out fairly
quickly that scores of detectives hadn't managed to do so suggested either epic incompetence or criminal
Brilliance the British investigation team started to grow weary of the French investigation which had seemingly gone
nowhere the more time that passed the more convinced they became that sad and his family had nothing to do with it by
focusing unnecessarily on Zed Al hilly alternative lines of inquiry had gone cold for the British investigators all
of the theories involving inheritance disputes industrial Espionage state sponsored assassinations and spies were
just distractions from the truth that the crime had its origins in France earlier in 2014 French detectives
Revisited the possibility that Silvan molier was the intended target they compiled a list of anyone
acquainted with Silvan or his partner CLA and set up routine interviews with each
individual among them was 50-year-old Patrice Manalo an Eugene firefighter who had previously served as a paratrooper
for the French Foreign Legion he was questioned for under an hour but it was clear he had nothing to
add police sent him on his way with no further thought to months later Patrice took his
own life he left behind a letter that included a surprising explanation for his abrupt suicide he couldn't handle
being considered a suspect for the ansy shootings investigators were stunned they never considered Patrice to
be a person of interest nor was he ever held in custody but now they were left wondering whether
Patrice Manalo had killed himself because he was in fact involved with the crime and was consumed by
guilt it seemed so illogical that a hardened soldier who had firsthand experience in foreign conflicts would be
driven to the brink by something as minor as a cursory police interview unless he had something to
hide an examination of patrice's Life revealed he suffered psychological problems from his 20 years in the
Foreign Legion he was also proficient with firearms and had local knowledge of the
sherlene area all of these factors fit the profile for the ansy shooter but they
didn't explain why Patrice waited 2 months after being interviewed by police to end his life and if he was
responsible why had it taken almost 2 years since the crime for the guilt to finally become
unbearable Patrice Manalo quickly Rose to the top of the suspect list but an in-depth inquiry failed to find any
evidence to link him to the crime September 2014 came and went marking a bitter 2-year anniversary of
the unsolved [Music] crime in a bid to identify the mysterious motorcyclist seen near the
crime scene police continued to cross check mobile phone records with motorcycle license
data in February 20 5 their hard work finally paid off the rider was identified as a 57-year-old man from the
city of leyon located roughly 150 km west of sherlene he explained that he'd been in
the Anese region on the day of the shootings by accident he was an enthusiastic paraglider and the particularly nice
weather that day had inspired him to ride the hills above Lake Anese to scope the area for potential paragliding
spots he recalled having a brief encounter with the two forestry workers but said he left the area after they
warned him about the restricted Road he hadn't noticed anything suspicious and hadn't been following the
story of the murders in the media so it never even occurred to him to come forward to clear himself as a
witness police had no reason to doubt this man's story he was a reputable businessman with a wife and children and
no criminal record nothing about him fit the profile of the killer nor was there
any evidence to link him to the crime he was released without charge with his name suppressed from the
media identifying the motorcyclist after all this time was a significant development but all it did was rule out
the possibility that the motorcyclist was involved if anything it was a case of one step forward two steps back
as the years continued to pass with no breakthroughs a new French prosecutor and Lead British detective were
eventually assigned to the case they Revisited the evidence from scratch in the hopes that fresh eyes
might uncover new leads the British team officially cleared Zed Al hilly from their list of
suspects zahed told the channel 4 documentary murdering the Alps that the hole falling out with his brother was
quote stupid and silly and it shouldn't really have happened but you can't turn the clock
back Zed believes the investigation was thwarted from the beginning and that French investigators were blindsided by
racism they didn't want the crime to have originated in their country so they saw the Middle Eastern family as the
perfect coverup Zed told a GQ Magazine to be honest with you I don't think there was an investigation I think
this was a declaration of war against us I think they hoped these Arabs would be
terrorists or drug dealers I think we were Mana from heaven for them the former lead investigator for
the British team Mark Preston appeared on the same channel 4 documentary to reveal some new information for the
first time he said that just before the shootings Silvan moller's bicycle chain had come loose ballistic evidence
indicated that Silvan had been shot when he was slightly bent over Preston hypothesized that the killer could have
been hiding in some nearby trees and pulled the trigger when Silvan stopped to check his bike chain he stated you
don't need to be a seasoned investigator to realize that the person who is shot first last and most is not going to be
the witness it is going to be the intended target to me it was very clear the killer wanted Moler
dead the French investigation team disputed this as it was scientifically impossible to determine the order in
which the victims were shot by 2021 Three French investigators continued to work on the case
fulltime they trolled through the files starting from scratch to see if anything
had been missed a full reconstruction of the crime scene was done complete with Witness
in February the new lead prosecutor Lynn bour told Swiss reporters I think we're nearly there
will succeed thanks to Scientific evidence this is not a Cold Case at all 4 months later the unnamed
motorcyclist who had previously been cleared from the investigation was placed under
arrest it's unclear if this was based on the revelation of any new evidence the the man was questioned in custody but
released shortly after with his lawyer stating I hope that those guilty will be found and I hope my client will never be
considered a suspect again this man's position is still the same he did not cross paths with this poor
family According to some reports he remains a Suspect with nothing to link either the
AL hilles or svan molier to the motive for the the crime the prevailing theory for French investigators is that the
ansy shootings were most likely a random attack committed by a lone gunman with no ties to the
victims the unsolved case has piqued the interest of many online sleuths they continue to discuss
possible theories including that the victims could have been targeted by one of several serial killers who were
active around France and Switzerland investigators have considered this Theory too But
ultimately ruled it out Zab and Zena Al hilly are now teenagers and have since been given new
identities in June 2022 British investigators interviewed Zab one more time to see if she could offer any
further Insight almost a decade after the fact according to Lou Parisian newspaper zab's recollection was now
clearer after arriving at L Martin Zab and sad got out of the car she remembered seeing Silvan molier on his
bicycle as the rest of her family were about to get out gunshot suddenly rang out zab's parents ordered her back into
the vehicle but as she tried to get back in she was grabbed from behind she first thought the person who
grabbed her was her father until she caught a glimpse of their bare hands and realized they were
white zanab struggled but was unable to free herself from their grip all she could remember before losing
Consciousness was that the killer was wearing long trousers and a leather jacket with the ongoing conjecture many
who have worked on the case describe it as one of the most difficult they've ever been involved
with as prosecutor Eric Mayu remarked to journalist Tom Perry we have tried everything possible
but perhaps we're in the presence of the perfect [Music] [Music] crime e

Case 272: The Annecy Shootings

On September 5 2012, a cyclist driving through the French Alps came upon a shocking scene. Married couple Saad and Iqbal al-Hilli, along with Iqbal’s elderly mother Suhaila al-Allaf, were shot execution-style while sitting in their BMW in a secluded parking spot in the woods surrounding Chevaline. 7-year-old Zainab al-Hilli clung to life on the ground nearby, while 4-year-old Zeena al-Hilli was nowhere to be seen. A local cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was also fatally shot in the brutal killing spree.

An international investigation quickly raised more questions than it did answers. What were the victims doing in this isolated area? Had they been targeted as part of some sinister activity, or were they killed at random by a lone psychopath?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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Brief Summary

The 2012 French Alps shootings involved the Al Hilly family and cyclist Silvan Molier, leaving multiple victims and an ongoing unsolved case.

Key points

A Tragic Discovery. Brett Martin finds a young girl covered in blood and a man shot dead.
The Alhilly Family's Vacation Turns Deadly. The Alhilly family is brutally attacked during their holiday in the French Alps.
The Alhilly Family Background. The Alhilly family was known to be kind and gentle, with no apparent enemies.
Suspicious Family Dynamics. Zahed's mental instability raises questions about potential involvement in the crime.
Speculation on Motives. Theories about Sard's involvement in espionage gained traction amidst financial disputes.
Financial Disputes and Tensions. Sard and Zahed's financial disagreements escalated into a feud, raising suspicions.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Where's Mommy? I want my mommy.

Zena's first words after being found

10:52WatchFeb 17, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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