Pistol in a lake gives hope for French cold case

Police investigating the unsolved murder of a British family in France 14 years ago have an unexpected new clue with the discovery of a Luger pistol in the waters of a nearby lake.

One of the few certainties in the killings of Saad al-Hilli with his wife and mother-in-law – as well as a passing cyclist – is that they were shot through the head with a Luger model P06, a type used by the Swiss army until around 1960.

Now France's cold case unit has confirmed the discovery of a Luger in Lake Annecy, not far from the scene of the murders in September 2012.

According to Marianne magazine, which broke the story, it was British tourists on 20 August who found the weapon lying in two metres of water.

At first they thought it was a water pistol, but realised their mistake when they felt its weight.

The discovery was made near the very camping site – Le Solitaire du Lac – where the al-Hillis were staying in their caravan, Marianne reported.

Forensic experts are now examining the weapon, which has been badly damaged by its time under water, to see if it is indeed a P06 model.

It is estimated that around 60,000 Luger P06s were manufactured. But the number of Luger pistols in general that were made is more like three million.