Brother of French shooting victim denies feud claims

Prosecutor Eric Maillaud said Saad al Hilli's brother had spoken again to police, after previously contacting them to ask whether TV reports of the massacre were true.

There had been suggestions of a dispute over a possible inheritance from their wealthy late father, who reportedly owned several properties in the UK and abroad.

Baghdad-born businessman Saad al Hilli, 50, from Claygate, Surrey, was found dead alongside his mother-in-law and his wife Iqbal near Lake Annecy on Wednesday. Cyclist Sylvain Mollier, a father-of-three who came from the nearby town of Ugine, was also shot dead in the execution-style attack.

Mr Maillaud said the brother would be interviewed by French officers as a witness, adding they had received "information from British police sources about a dispute between brothers". He said the police did not know the family and that the dead man may have other brothers.

"He turned up this morning because he heard about the conflict between himself and his brother and he said 'No, I don't have a conflict with my brother'," Mr Maillaud told reporters at a press conference in Annecy.

"That's all I can tell you. What is important is for us to listen to this brother procedurally."

He said Mr al Hilli first visited police on Wednesday, within a few hours of the 4pm attack, because he was concerned about his brother's safety following reports of the attack.

Mr Maillaud said instinct told him there was more than one person behind the murders and British police were now directly involved in the investigation.

French detectives will interview Zaid al Hilli at length in Britain. They are also expected to visit the home of the victim and other family members

"It's a Franco-British investigation," said Mr Maillaud.

It further emerged that about 25 shots were fired, more than originally thought, and each corpse was found with at least three bullet wounds, and "at least one bullet to the head".

The prosecutor also revealed Saad al Hilli's four-year-old daughter Zeena, who survived by hiding under her mother, had spoken to police about the attack, describing what Mr Maillaud called the "fury" and "terror" of the massacre.

She said she did not see anything because she "dived under her mother's legs" when the shooting began.

The survival of Zeena's seven-year-old sister Zainab, who was beaten and shot in the massacre and is now in a medically induced coma, was described by police as a miracle.

Mr Maillaud said: "We will have to see if she will be able to escape this nightmare... The real truth will only be found when we find the murderers."

Investigators are now waiting for the go-ahead from medical staff at Grenoble University Hospital to talk to Zainab.

Mr Maillaud said detectives hoped the youngster, who is in a serious but stable condition, would recover sufficiently from the trauma to be able to speak to them and that her memory was not damaged.

Sir Peter Ricketts, the British ambassador to France, said the sisters would be looked after by British consular staff until members of their family could be taken to France.

Sir Peter said: "Everybody shares the same determination that the perpetrators of this awful crime are brought to justice as soon as possible. This is particularly violent and brutal, but also has this heart-rending dimension of the two small girls. It's a unique case in my experience."

The cyclist who found the bodies said he saw a green 4x4 and a scooter heading away.

"He kept a clear sense of observation. This could greatly help us," said a police source.

Meanwhile, a statement has been released by Guildford-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, where Mr al Hilli had worked as a contractor, describing the massacre victim as a personal friend to staff.

Dr Matt Perkins, the company's chief executive officer, said: "I am deeply shocked and saddened to confirm that one of SSTL's long-term contractors, Saad al Hilli, has been formally identified as one of the victims of the shootings which occurred in the French Alps."