[caption id="attachment_79953" align="aligncenter" width="436"] A handout picture from the French Gendarmerie Nationale on November 4, 2013 shows a composite drawing of a motorcycle rider who was seen close to the site where four people were shot dead in the French Alpine village of Chevaline in September 2012 (French Gendarmerie Nationale/File[/caption]

Possible Break in the Murder Case of British Family in the Alps

Chevaline, France - The two-year-old case of the murder of a British family on vacation in the Alps may have made a break. Police have confirmed taking a 48-year-old man into custody who fits the description of a suspect they have been seeking. The image was published in various media outlets this past November 4. Police confirmed taking the suspect into custody at his home, Eric Maillaud, the local prosecutor said.

"This arrest, which may not be the only one, was the result of witness statements after the broadcast of a photo-fit image on November 4, 2013 of a biker seen near the scene of the crime and actively sought by investigators," he said.

“For the moment it is impossible to say whether he played any role in the shooting. It is simply the result of the release of the photofit but it is strictly impossible to say any more at this stage," he added. "It could turn out that he has absolutely nothing to do with this affair. He is of French nationality and he lives in the Annecy area.”

However, they caution that at this stage, the arrest might not amount to anything. For the time being, they have withheld the suspect's identity and issued the clear threat to prosecute anyone publishing the man's identity. French laws allow paparazzi to be prosecuted for violating privacy.

The family of Saad al-Hilli was shot by an unnamed assailant at the campsite they were staying at in close proximity to the town of Annecy. The assailant had targeted the al-Hilli family killing the husband in the Alps, the wife and mother in their car, and their daughters at the campsite.

The girls survived their wounds. A fourth bystander was killed in a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The killer is believed to be a motorcyclist. The man recently arrested is also a motorcyclist.

Source:
Mountain Man arrested Hilli family murder
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10645636/Breakthrough-arrest-in-Alps-murder-case.html

Mountain Man arrested Hilli family murder: Breakthrough in French Alps murder probe as man arrested
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gqJHlTpBqG5o56QMSrJpFW8dVZ8A?docId=1c7395da-d614-44f5-b020-553ec71140b4