COPS have arrested a man over the murder of a British family in a notorious gun attack in the Alps.

       Surrey businessman Saad al-Hilli, 50, his wife Iqbal, 47, and his mother-in-law Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, were gunned down in a horrific attack in September 2012.

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       The car the Al-Hilli family were in when the attack happened 5

       Saad al-Hilli, along with his wife Iqbal and his mother-in-law Suhaila al-Allaf, was gunned down in a horrific attack 5

       The area where the attack took place in the French Alps Credit: Doug Seeburg - The Sun

       French cyclist Sylvain Mollier, 45, also died in the bloodbath, after being shot seven times at point-blank range.

       The arrest is the latest dramatic twist in a case that has baffled investigators down the years and seen them pursue several fruitless lines of inquiry.

       Despite an investigation stretching across the world, the individual or gang responsible have so far never been caught.

       French prosecutors have now confirmed the arrest of a person in relation to the killings, which happened near a beauty spot Lake Annecy in eastern France.

       Cops swooped this morning at 8.05am and detained the man, who lives with his partner, BFMTV reports.

       The suspect lives in the Lyon and searches of his home and nearby properties were continuing.

       Iraqi-born Mr al-Hilli's brother Zaid told The Sun Online slammed the French investigation.

       He said the arrest "come completely out of the blue for me" and he was "a little surprised by it".

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       “I want to say that hopefully this is the end of it but we have had so many red herrings over the last few years," he said.

       "The investigation by the French hasn’t been the best and now I think they just want to show they are still working on it but it’s a little too late.

       “Anyone could see that but the French insisted on going up blind alleys and trying to cover up their original mistakes."

       The man has already been spoken to as a suspect and his movements around the time of the killing are being checked.

       All three killed were ruthlessly dispatched with 'double tap' shots to the head by a professional shooter who circled their parked BMW.

       The Al-Hillis' daughter, Zeena, four, hid in the footwell of the vehicle and was unscathed, while her sister, Zainab, seven, was shot and beaten but made a good recovery.

       Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis has always insisted that the enquiry was still very much active.

       In October, a lake near to the crime scene was sealed off as part of the investigation.

       INVESTIGATION ACROSS GLOBE

       Referring to the nearest village to the crime scene, Bonnet said at the time: "The Chevaline case is continuing, and still involves an investigating judge and investigators."

       She confirmed that forensics officers were back at the scene.

       They were accompanied by local magistrates who had obtained an order to shut the road down for two 24-hour periods.

       Their work was being carried out under conditions of strict secrecy, with all traffic, including aircraft flying above, banned by court order.

       "It’s a chance for the new legal team to examine elements of the case, including inconsistencies in the testaments of witnesses," said another investigating source.

       Asked if a reconstruction was taking place, the source said: "Not technically – it’s more a chance for the team to familiarise themselves with the scene."

       Last year, detectives said they were investigating a possible link between the murders and a bungling gang of contract killers based in Paris.

       Pistol rounds found at the home of one member – a former police intelligence officer – were of the same calibre as those fired by the antique Luger PO6 used to kill the Al-Hillis.

       If the gang was involved, it would be more likely that cyclist - Mr Mollier - was the primary target, investigators believe.

       He was a welder in a subsidiary of the Areva nuclear power group, but tensions in his personal life are more likely to have provided a motive for him being targeted, they said.

       Zaid al-Hilli repeated his claim that Mollier was the target and his relations were merely innocent by-standers.

       “It’s obvious Mollier was the target my brother and his family were just tourists on holiday they had no itinerary and were just along the roaf because they were on holiday but sadly it was the wrong plane at the wrong time," he said.

       RED HERRINGS

       Baffled French investigators have considered numerous other potential reasons for the attacks.

       These range from Mr Al-Hilli’s past life in Iraq, including potential financial links to the late dictator Saddam Hussein, to claims that a ‘lone wolf’ psychopath was responsible for a random attack.

       But none of the numerous theories surrounding the so-called Alps Murders has stuck, meaning there have been no criminal indictments.

       In September 2020, sisters Zainab and Zeena were quizzed again by police in the hope that they would be able to give new leads.

       Cops even probed Saad’s work making military satellites as a motive and his brother Zaid, 61, was quizzed about an alleged feud but told he’d face no further action.

       A former French army paratrooper who had an affair with Sylvain Mollier's sister was in the frame for the killings.

       Patrice Menegaldo later killed himself and remains the chief suspect for the 2012 killings.

       He left a suicide note referring to the Alps Murders, following his interrogation by the Chambery detectives.

       Bonnet-Mathis insister prosecutors "mustn’t get carried away" with the latest arrest.

       "We have already had a suicide after a police custody in this case, so must remain cautious and measured about its outcome," she said.

       "I don’t want to give anything away that identifies this person, or where he comes from."

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       Saad and Iqbal with eldest daughter Zainab then aged 3 5

       Police outside the Surrey home of the al-Hilli family following their murders

       Were family murdered in the Alps just innocent bystanders after all?