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Subscribe to RSSHorrific details emerge after four people were killed in the French Alps but the motive behind the murders of an Iraqi-born British citizen, his wife and her mother is still unknown. A passing cyclist was also killed.
Updated 7:15 p.m. ET: The brother of a British man shot dead in the French Alps with his wife and two other people came forward to authorities and denied any conflict in the family, The Associated Press reported Friday, as investigators probed whether a money dispute among the siblings motivated the bloodshed.
Iraqi-born engineer Saad al-Hilli, 50, his wife Iqbal, and her mother were found shot dead in a car on a remote road near Annecy Wednesday. A French cyclist was found dead nearby. Investigators were working to identify a fourth victim, an elderly Iraqi-born Swedish woman who was also in the car, The AP reported.
The al-Hillis' 7-year-old daughter Zainab was found seriously injured, but alive, while their 4-year-old daughter Zeena was discovered Thursday after hiding beneath her dead mother’s legs for eight hours.
Three of the dead were shot in the forehead with a semi-automatic weapon, leading to speculation that the killings were a professional hit.
Girl, 4, hid for eight hours in car filled with corpses after shootings in France
On Friday, prosecutor Eric Maillaud told French news agency AFP that they were looking into "credible information" from British police about a family argument.
Salvatore Di Nolfi / EPA
Police escort the car in which three members of a British family were shot dead near Chevaline, France.
"It seems that there was a dispute between the two brothers about money … The brother will have to be questioned at length. Every lead will be meticulously followed,” he said.
On Friday, after learning of authorities' suspicion about a possible family feud, Zaid al-Hilli went to British police and told them, "I have no conflict with my brother," according to Eric Maillaud, a prosecutor in nearby Annecy.
"This brother came forward spontaneously to investigators, first to ask simply about the state of his brother because he heard through British media that his brother was dead," Maillaud said, according to the AP.
But a family friend produced a letter written by Saad that alluded to an inheritance dispute with Zaid in the wake of their father's recent death, the report said.
In an effort to avoid tipping off the perpetrator or perpetrators, French authorities released only a handful of clues about the investigation.
The U.K.'s Sky News said the prosecutor’s office had stressed the family dispute was just one of a number of possible scenarios being investigated by the authorities.
Al-Hilli was born in Baghdad in 1962, but had lived in Britain since at least 2002. Public records identified him as a mechanical engineer and his LinkedIn page described him as an aerospace consultant.
Detectives in France are facing criticism as to why the sole survivor in a brutal quadruple homicide in an Alpine town was not discovered alive until eight hours after the shooting. ITN's Damon Green.
A British cyclist, reportedly a former member of Britain’s Royal Air Force, was the first on the scene of the shootings at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, when he came upon al-Hilli’s BMW with its engine running. The three dead al-Hilli family members were inside the car with the French cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, 40, lying dead outside.
Mollier, who had no ties to the family, had passed the British cyclist on the road earlier. The British man put the seven-year-old girl in the recovery position and called emergency services. He has been credited with saving her life.
"He had a strong command of his nerves. We must welcome his action and congratulate him," Maillaud said Wednesday.
ITV News reported that autopsies would be carried out on the dead Friday as the hunt for clues continues.
It is also hoped the children will have information useful to the investigators.
Justin Tallis / AFP - Getty Images
A police officer stands in the front a house in Claygate, south-east England, on Thursday which is believed to be where the al-Hilli family lived.
British Ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, told ITV News Friday that they were trying to help the children involved in what he described as an “awful and heart-rending story."
"What we can do is help these poor little girls with some English-speaking, friendly consular people to be with them," he said.
Read more stories from the U.K.'s ITV News
Ricketts said the younger child, who was not physically hurt, was "deeply traumatized."
U.K. officials had not been able to visit her older sister for medical reasons, he said, but added she was in a stable condition. On Thursday, French officials said her injuries were no longer life-threatening.
ITV News is NBC's U.K. partner. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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I know it's just a theory at this point in the investigation, but if it proves to be true that they were killed over a dispute over money it certainly proves the old saying Money is the root of all evil.
I pray for the poor children and the French cyclist who had absolutely nothing to do with this, yet paid the price anyway. How sad.
Money is not the root of all evil.....people are.
The LOVE of money is the root to all evil. Money, by itself, is nothing. People's emotional attachment or detachment to lives and objects controls from where evil comes.
May the children recover quickly and well. Many condolences to the remaining family.
Guns do not kill people. People using guns kill other people. Money and/or religious beliefs are often included in the discussion when mass murders occur. Husbands and wives who shoot a spouse for infidelity also may be thinking "What will happen to me and my near perfect life now?". The police will follow the money trail and the person who paid for the killings will either kill themselves before capture, be killed by the assassin, or become the latest pawn in a "made for television" movie about money, greed, sex, and foreign intrigue.
plork, did you read his post? He said "Guns do not kill people. People with guns kill people". That is a valid statement and one that I make all of the time. A gun by itself cannot kill anyone. but the minute someone picks that gun up it can do a lot of damage.
Plork - that is the dumbest argument.
A firearm is as dangerous as a baseball bat, hockey stick, kitchen knife, or a neck tie. They are inanimate and only come to life when a person uses them. What do all these items have in common...they have all been used for murder.
So I guess with your logic we need to ban them all...that makes a whole lot of sense, plork
Your personal attack on other bloggers just demonstrates your own lack of conviction in your own BS logic. Now you can go back masturbating in front of your mirror.
The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Not money per se.
"Money is the root of all evil"
I grew up very poor. After college, I started a software company and now I'm rich. When I was poor, I got in a lot of fights and was a trouble-maker. Treated most everyone around me badly. Now I treat others well. I give a ton of money to charity. I teach underpriveledged kids about computers 3 times a week. I take disabled vets scuba diving on my boat once a week.
Tell me again about: "Money is the root of all evil"?
I'd say quite the opposite Slappy.
Survey says!
Come on Plork, you gotta have more to say...you couldn't get through your very first posting without insulting other bloggers. In fact, you haven't been able to post without slinging insults.
Try grabbing an adult and have them help you with a meaningful post.
The love of money is the root of all evil, but the lack of money is the cause of most problems.
Sorry for being facetious, this was a true tragedy, but the arguement back and forth was turning into a one upmanship contest.
Bobster,
I have seen money change people for the better...and also for the worse. Money is comparable to alcohol. People's true personalities are maginified when it's applied generously. :)
Congratulations on your good fortune and on being a good person!
Plork-in all of those examples, people are controlling the object. A person controls where the car goes-my care never leaves the driveway unless I am inside it. The pilot is controlling the airplane. A person was using the hammer to pound in the nail-it would be awesome if my hammer would just pound in all those nails for me. People turn on the computers and input commands to tell the computer what to do-I would never have to go to work again if my computer just did all of it. All of these objects would just sit stationary without doing anything without human intervention.
At any rate, this argument has made us lose sight of what's important-the tragedy endured by this family. I wish the girls a speedy recovery, I hope police find out who did this quickly, and I hope there is some other family member who is able to take these girls in!
This is gravely horrifying...
I have a 10 year old brother and when I put my brother in the shoes of those two little girls...it's scary stuff.
plork,
What's with the sarcasm? We all have our opinions but to belittle someone 'cause you don't agree is distasteful. Not nice.
On another note, what a shame for these poor folks. And the children? They are going on a long road to recovery. Hope the 7 yr old makes a full recovery from the injuries.
Money "IS" the root of all evil. I've seen families torn apart over money. Especially when someone passes away and they all fight over their assets. I've seen lifelong friends never speak again over $10.00. All in all, what a terrible tragedy.
Plork makes a good point! (though don't like the sarcasm and sneering tone...)
I take his meaning to be that to use a knife or baseball bat, one has to be "up close and personal" and more likely to be stopped. Whereas, using a gun allows the shooter to be at a distance and less likely to be disarmed before shooting a plurality of people. A small woman probably wouldn't use a baseball bat against a large man (unless surprise attack) but might use a gun (the "great equalizer").
Having said that - OF COURSE IT IS POSSIBLE to kill numbers of people through means other than guns - e.g. airplanes and boxcutters on 9/11, poison gases (Nazis), etc. etc.
Guns are a tool, more useful than others in some situations, both offensive and defensive. 'nuff said.
Plork - ya got that backwards again as usual...smoke taint coming out of my ears since I have no need to defend my position to you.
An, oh by the way,...you're the one whining about masturbation, dip@!$%#s, and turds from your very first post...so, whose ears are a smok'n?
Yeah, I thought so....
No...I'm sure you're right...you are smarter than everyone else making mature comments...
And it would help us all if you could run us through why you somehow feel that we need to defend our positions to you...just a thought.
But, from these blogs, most folks don't see a whole lot of point to your insults...just food for thought
Sorry plork... your logic is still flawed. No matter how much you scream "Guns kill people"... they don't.... and that is 100% fact. I would give you 1 or 2 % points if you at least said the bullets kill people. But again, sorry you are STILL flawed in your logic.
Chears
Now is when it gets fun kiddies... plork's ego is now bruised... let the games begin.
Big Green - hey, most folks seem to use reason and logical argument to advance a point as you do.
According to Plork, '...when I insult you, I'm making a point...' Never seen anyone proudly claim that is how they state their case..
But hey, I guess it works for him...I guess...
You guys are so funny...don't you realize you're giving plork exactly what he wants? You are falling directly into his trap, which is exactly why trolls continue to hijack thread after thread. People can't resist responding to an inflammatory comment with either a logical rebuttal or an inflammatory retort of their own. Well played, plork, well played.
Sorry mini-Plork...you missed the mark
Regardless of weather plork is being rude with you guys doesnt change the fact that on tens of thousands of articles that dont involve gun control discussion someone on the USA pro gun side will bring it up. I expect Plork is just annoyed that the comment about guns not killing people never fails to appear. While that comment is true. The comments that are consistently posted about how a bat or a knife is the same as a gun is completely ridiculous. I too feel like calling the people that keep using that argument morons. You can defend yourself against a bat or a knife with your hands.. and you can run from someone with a bat or a knife.. YOU CANNOT RUN FROM SOMEONE WITH A GUN and EVEN IF YOU ARE ARMED WITH A FIREARM YOU CANNOT STOP A BULLIT FIRED AT YOU WITH YOUR HANDS. Its an effing ridiculous argument. Also this notion that everything can be used as a weapon like cars for instance doesnt change the fact that when gun control advocates speak up after mass shootings.. they are refering to the mass shooters who have fantasies about gunning people down.. and not about running people over with cars.. mass shooters dont have the psyc profile of mass poisoners.. they have to be dealt with in different ways. Mass shooters are mass shooters.. you get it. They want to shoot people and kill them .. they dont want to drown them.
Relax Ian - the blanket statement that guns kill people is true to a point, the point that you still need someone behind the weapon to make it do its thing...
Never said that a bat or a knife is the same as a firearm, except for one point, that being the same for any object used for an assault...it just doesn't hop up on its own...someone has to help
Your use of the standard phrase in reference to a notion contrary to yours as, '...completely ridiculous...' shows an entrenched position that gets the collective us in trouble when someone automatically assumes that they are correct and everyone else is wrong...
So, do us a favor and ease up on the preaching...
Virgil
I would rather for someone to come after me with a neck tie than with a gun any day.
Jakup - I wholeheartedly agree
Sad for the 2 little girls, hope they recuperate.
As for my 2 cents worth on gun violence: could a little kid kill somebody with a knife or baseball bat? I think not, plenty of cases though were they killed other people if they got a hold of a gun (for arguments sake on knifes and baseball bats could do the same harm as guns)..........just saying
wtf doe this mean "Mollier, who had no ties to the family, had passed the British cyclist on the road earlier. The British man put the seven-year-old girl in the recovery position and called emergency services. He has been credited with saving her life".
How can he pass himself? Was he still in this universe or in another one? As i understand it Mollier was the cyclist and was also killed
Hey Virgil Earp fantasize about gun violence much? As for your response. Your quote exactly follows. "A firearm is as dangerous as a baseball bat, hockey stick, kitchen knife, or a neck tie. They are inanimate and only come to life when a person uses them." You said exactly what I said you said... but the truth is not what you said it is. Your comment is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS because a firearm is much more dangerous than a bat or a knife. Are you going to respond to my comment or just lie. Can you respond to the fact that you can run from a bat but not an AK 47???? hmmm. No your not.. cause an AK47 is much more dangerous than a bat. You say im entrenched in my position.. and your the one making dozens of posts?? That makes a lot of sense. Save your posts for articles that actually have something to do with what your posting. You getting paid by the NRA?.. ya.. you probably are.
@Plork.... what a dumb ass you are.
Plork - Please dont say you are for gun rights, then come back with the stupid notion of guns killing people. Keep your tin foil hat on.
Money is not the root of evil, the love of money is. I have known many rich people who do great things with their money, and poor people who will scam to get ahead. I also know rich people who would use their own mother's stroke to make a profit, literally, and poor people who give all they can. Its when you disregard human life for money that leads you to evil.
This is one of the worst articles Ive read in a long time btw. He is simply a lead because he had an argument with his brother. There is no proof at all that he killed them.
mj899, the french cyclist Mollier had passed the British cyclist earlier. He came accross the scene when the gunman was still there and was killed as a result. The British cyclist showed up after Mollier and the family was killed and saved the girl's life.
Ian, the NRA wouldnt pay someone to try to convice morons on worldnews about anything.
And it is easier to kill someone with a gun than a knife, and in many cases that is a good thing. There is many stories, but one I remember is a man was attempting to rape an old woman. She managed to get to her revolver in her purse and blew the guy's head off. Guns give the weaker (physically) in our society (women, the elderly, girly men, lol) a fighting chance against stronger people who wish to cause them harm.
Or maybe the British (military) cyclist performed the assassination. How tidy that in France a Brit soldier found his fellow Brit civilian and family dead on a road where he was a cyclist and the other native French cyclist witness is dead... conspiracist me.
Maillaud also said it was difficult to see how such an argument could "pass from a financial dispute to a quadruple murder." Guess that guy doesn't know much. Something less than that could lead to murder. You only want to eliminate one but you have to get rid of anybody who witnessed it.
MJ: "wtf doe this mean "Mollier, who had no ties to the family, had passed the British cyclist on the road earlier. The British man put the seven-year-old girl in the recovery position and called emergency services. He has been credited with saving her life".
How can he pass himself? Was he still in this universe or in another one? As i understand it Mollier was the cyclist and was also killed"
There were TWO (2) cyclists: one British, one French. French Mollier passed the Brit earlier on the road. Obviously French cyclist then arrived at the crime scene (@ the wrong and the wrong time) tragically killed. Up cycles the Brit on said crime scene--saves 7 yr old's life (poor 4 yr old trembling under corpses in the car)
I confess I often wonder (along with MJ): are YOU ALL in this universe or in another one? Because sometimes I feel like a stranger wandering in a strange land. All this ridiculous bickering back and forth: left/right/gun/no gun/liberal/conservative/Barack/Mitt blah blah blah--and so few appear to see this tragedy (or any other news story) for itself--
I pray for the poor little girls left orphaned by this horror.
A strange story to say the least but it sure looks like a professional hit. I feel so sorry for the little girls who witnessed their family being killed.
The "family feud" idea is lame. Why kill four adults and injure a child? Why kill an adult that just happened to come to the scene? If the cyclist had been killed at a distance, it might be possible that he was not targeted, but he was also shot in the head; maybe he was the target and the people in the car witnesses. If shooting from a distance (as in a witness who just happened to be on the scene), it wouldn't have been a clean shot in the head.
Yes, it looks like a professional hit.
The four year old was hiding behind her dead mother's legs for 8 hours... if that doesn't pull at your heart, I don't know what will. Whoever killed this family should suffer indefinitely. Unfortunately there is no punishment allowable by law to come close to the hell that this little girl went through and will continue to go through.
I sincerely hope her older sister makes a full recovery as well.
The person who did this will definitely be punished in hell if not in this life.
Well, unless he finds Jesus before he dies and is reborn. Then he gets to go to heaven. Even though he did this.
Praise the Lord.
Hambone
You are correct.
Who's to say you are not punished even if you are allowed into Heaven? Punishments dont just have to be eternal. I dont want him to spend eternity in hell, but a few thousand years would be cool with me.
Mr Burns: "Who's to say you are not punished even if you are allowed into Heaven? Punishments dont just have to be eternal. I dont want him to spend eternity in hell, but a few thousand years would be cool with me"
Cool with Catholics too. That's why they invented "Purgatory." You get paroled to Heaven eventually (and, yes, I did grow up Catholic)...
MrBurns,
I'm fairly certain that in the bible, somewhere, it says that through Jesus, all sins are forgiven. Not through punishment.
Therefore, by finding Jesus, all his sins are forgiven and God cannot punish him for sins that have already been forgiven. That would be unjust.
Mr. Saad Al-Hilli's father passed away last year and he was a very wealthy man owning properties in Iraq,France,Spain and Switzerland. Saad Al-Hilli was an engineer -SSTL-Edds etc. work.He and his brother had disputes over the inheritance- an angle the Brits are looking into. The brother voluntaril went to British police to be questioned. For all the scenarios- read Le Parisien or Daily Mail.uk- cannot miss it. It is the most savage execution style family murder of late- and no one is remembering the other victim whose misfortune was being at the wrong place-Sylvain Mollier-father of 3.
I grieve for the two little girls, and especially for the wife and 3 children the slain French cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, no doubt. While I don't usually like movies about tragedies, I hope someone will make a movie about this, and give most of the proceeds to the victim's families.
Merci beaucoup for the additional information Mimi, you certainly helped flesh-out the story.
Even if wealthy, I doubt the family feud scenario, because why would the brother have gone to the police voluntarily to be questioned? Where did his father get that kind of wealth? Could it have been oil? Could it have been arms? Right away, we are getting into international politics and old vendettas that are much bigger than one little family. Iraq has been at war; might Iraq think that the country's wealth had been pocketed?
It's clearly a professional hit. The family was obviously tracked to this remote location (on holiday I assume) and someone had to have known precisely where they would be and killed them with their car running. Terrible tragedy. It might be really hard to track this kind of hit down. It sounds like money, greed, power, or revenge. I hope some trustworthy relatives are available to the children.
Regardless of whether the brother had anything to do with this horrendous crime or not, his family has been destroyed and two little girls will have to grow up without their parents. If he was responsible and money was the motivation, to say it wasn't worth it would be a gross understatement. if he is responsible the hardest thing he'll have to do is look into the eyes of his nieces, not serve a prison sentence.
Gracious and most loving Father in heaven, open your arms and receive these two very precious children into your care. Please send people into their lives who will love and nurture them and please send out a spirit of justice for their family.
Peace and God's blessings to all this day.
Well said. Even though I'm an atheist, I agree 100% with the intent and the passion of your message. You definitely said it better than I did.
Sorry, if it was him and he was willing to have his brother, sister-in-law and her mother killed and quite possibly wanted the children killed to, why would it be difficult to look in the nieces eyes?
And if "Father in heaven" is now paying attention, he's about 2 days too late for these children - if he can "receive these two very precious children in your care" in any way then he maybe should have done something to keep the very precious children's very important parents from being murdered in front of them and having one of them shot and beaten. In case "most loving Father" wasn't paying attention, they already had people in their lives who would love and nuture them but they got murdered in front of them.
Missy
I like your post. But anybody with such a cold heart to do this would have no trouble 'looking into the eyes of his nieces'. It takes a truly cold, cold person to orchestrate something like this. That kind of person obviously cares nothing for the children involved.
Condolences to the rest of the family. Those poor children, there aren't words to convey my sadness. Nor words enough to convey my hope for their future. It's heartbreaking.
Thank you LordPyrinc... Nice to see people meet in the middle sometimes.
Have a great weekend.
I was thinking the same thing biggreen!!!
I feel very sorry for those girls. However, immediately assuming that it was the brother is being very short-sighted. The father was wealthy, from Iraq, which just had a war and change of power. How the father's wealth was earned is just as important as the family's interests: there were arms dealers, oil brokers, and all kinds of international politics and intrigue, and the best that the police can do is to look at the brother? Who's hiding something?
Missy
It's nice to read something with compassion for the little girls and what they went through. My heart goes out to the cyclist that was murdered and to all the families. What a horrible tragedy.
Elizabeth- I don't think the police are ONLY looking at the brother. They got information and they're following up with it, as police should do. That doesn't mean they're ignoring other information or have their sights completely set on the brother. I don't think it was the brother, either, but if they have a possible motive, they HAVE to investigate, even if it's just to eliminate the possibility.
LordPyrinc- Ditto to what biggreen said.
SleepinSadie- I think you missed the point LordPyrinc was trying to make- which was no matter what your faith, it's the thought that counts. Whether you "wish someone well," "are praying for them," or "send good thoughts their way," it's all the same. It was just Missy's way of expressing her feelings for the girls. It wasn't an invitation to openly attack her faith. She wasn't attacking yours.
some kind of muslim honor killing...he'll be a hero in his homeland...sad
Because they are Iraqi you assume it's an honor killing? You think that only a 'Muslim' honor killing could explain this outrage? That only Muslims are capable of this type of thing?
Pfffttt
All nationalities/cultures/etc. kill family members. Islamists kill family members on a regular basis, it seems. If they will kill each other without compuction, what would they do to us infidels, once they gain control? Of course, no one has been arrested as yet, much less tried.
Let's hope the Islamic people don't launch an Inquisition or Crusade when they "gain control", eh?
Such a violent religion, Islam.
/sarcasm
James
Yes, because this type of thing NEVER happens in the wonderful Christian west.
Just a thought, where was God/Allah when these people were being murdered?
Just a thought...Where were you.
Allah was right there! In Islam, anything goes when dealing with "infidels" - that is, people who do not believe exactly as you believe. And the man is the supreme lord, through whom all instruction and correction must come. So, simple extension, if a wife, brother, child does not agree with the dictates of the "man of the house", then they are an infidel and the death penalty is quite easily administered. And in the Arab countries, is very seldom punished.
Jamees
God was in Heaven when this happened.
James, You don't have to believe as I do, nor do you have to agree with it. But since you asked, many people of faith believe in a higher purpose. We may not always understand why bad things happen, as they do every day. We may not always see a reason behind tragedies. But many of us believe that, somewhere, there IS one. No one believes that this was a "good" thing. But perhaps something good will come out of it. That's what I believe. I don't speak for the entirety of religious people or Christianity. I simply speak for myself. This was a horrible thing and we can ask God (or whomever) WHY as long as we live and maybe never know ourselves. But I can only hope that there is a reason.
No time for humor but, is it pronounced "Ik-ball"?
It is pronounced "Ik baal"! If you are looking for humorous muslim names here is one of a Pakistani man I knew - Saddiq Fukruddin Butt.
Must be nice where (Lala Land?) Maillaud lives, that's it hard to believe a financial dispute could lead to murder... around here, people would bust a cap in your 4$$ for "dissing" them by stepping on their shoe...
I wonder if anyone has thought that this might be a hate crime considering that they were part Iraqi. It is not too hard to phatham.
Or they want your shoes.
guenavere - it's spelled 'fathom'.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking - money's usually the number 1 reason for such things. Tragic story, though, but luckily the British cyclist was able to help the 7-year old, and the 4-year old wasn't shot. That British cyclist deserves a medal or something, good job there mate!
" However, Maillaud also said it was difficult to see how such an argument could "pass from a financial dispute to a quadruple murder." "
With Muslims/Middle-Easterners? You gotta be kidding.
Yeah, only Muslims/Middle-Easterners, cause we know no one in America would ever kill anyone over money and neither would anyone of any other religion...
Although the brother must be considered as a suspect, the other associates of the father must be considered. If his wealth came from oil, or arms, or political intrigue (all three are political intrigue), that means there are international political players in this case. It is easy to charge the brother, and convenient, but it is probably not the whole story, and may not even be part of the story.
i thought France was a gun free country.
I may be wrong on that but if i am right how did someone get a gun. Oh thats right criminals would be allowed to have guns just not the law abiding citizen.
I love how the french did not bring up that could have been a hate crime because they love everyone except americans
France is a gun free country, however, it is also a borderless country. Anyone from anywhwere can drive into France with a trunk full of ....... Shawn, everyone is a law abiding citizen until they brake the law. And why should anyone "owe it" to love Americans?
Horrible story; those poor little girls.
On a side note though, what is "the recovery position?" I am curious to know, just in case it may someday be a good thing to know.
I have the same question about what this 'recovery position is'!
Its a position an unconscious injured person is placed in (on their side) that keeps their airway open until medical help arrives. Take a standard first-aid course and you would know.
This just proves that no matter how far technology comes or how much learning we can muster the human is still an animal and will always kill.
It becomes a sadder day when there are pointless murders. Sadder still when it's about money.
This story breaks my heart. The little 4 year old will need some serious help, which I pray she will receive. I pray the 7 year old will recover, she too will need help. This sounds like a professional hit, so it might be something to do with his position rather than the brother. At least I hope that an argument didn't escalate to this horrific act. My condolences to the family and friends.
< it was difficult to see how such an argument could "pass from a financial dispute to a quadruple murder. >
If this turns out to be a family dispute, then not really.
I'll get pilloried for cultural stereotyping and racism, but it seems to me that the world of Islam and the Arab world especially is filled with short fuses, crescendoing machismo, and a twisted sense of moral/honor obligations and revenge. People just need to chill.
Family members will kill each regardless of what race or religion. When money is involved its a great motive to kill.
It is a horrible tragedy, and I hope those poor little girls will physicaly and mentally recover quickly.
I just can't believe how people can be comfortable on judging a religion they don't know anything about. I guess that is just the ignorance syndrom that reign in many people's mind. Some people are talking like there was never familly murder in any other religion.
If they would of ate more BLT's they would not be angry all of the time. It is always those Tea Party Middle Easterner's behind all that violence ! LMFAO
Geeze Louise.... I thought I was reading a Dean Koontz novel! This is horrible! :-(
A professional hit would not have left anyone alive.
4 yr olds are small & nimble, I could see how the kid could get overlooked, especially if the killer(s) aren't really professionals, but maybe just local hired thugs that'd work cheap. And maybe they figured that the 7 yr old was near bleeding out & was going to die shortly anyway, & the killer(s) just wanted to flee the scene as fast as possible.
I have a (completely unsupported) theory that the gunman was dressed as a police officer (running car) and the four year old was hiding BEFORE the shooting because she didn't have a proper carseat and her parents didn't want a ticket. That would explain the 4 year old. Perhaps the 7 year old was smart enough to play dead, or she passed out and the shooter believed her to be dead. That's just a theory, though. I have no evidence beyond what's in the articles.
i think the point that everyone on this post is missing is that if you read this story carefully, they mentioned that this was a professional hit based on the bullet casings. Yeah Yeah it could have been the brother but the fact that he was an engineer in Iraq has me wondering. I know everyone is going to say oh you are such a conspiracy theorist, but i smell something fishy here. remember the engineer in iran that was killed by a professional hit, well this looks very similiar. that fact that the brother tried to kill the little girls and killed a man he didnt know (cyclist) is very doubtful unless he is a really crazy bastard. id love to here what others think about this theory. those poor little girls, i hope they can recover from this gruesome tradegy.
The 4 year old was left hiding beneath her mothers dead legs for 8 hours?!?!?!?! my heart is breaking for these poor children. i don't understand or am able to fathom why people kill people, and most of all why they can hurt a child in this way. Or leave a child without the parents.
I do believe there is a special place in hell waiting for this guy, and i hope that France/Britian have stonger death penalties for this guy than California has for their death penalty.
What is the "recovery position"?
In this instance the little girl was bashed in the head. What is the "recovery position" for someone with a head injury?