Arrested man is thought to be brother of Saad al-Hilli, who was gunned down along with his wife and mother-in-law last year

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

Police investigating the killing of a British family in French Alps last year have arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

The man is said by Sky News to be his brother of Saad al-Hilli, 50.

Hilli was shot dead along with his wife, Iqbal, 47, and her mother, Suhaila al-Allaf, 74, near lake Annecy in the Haute Savoie in September. The couple's daughters, Zainab, then aged seven, was shot in the shoulder and beaten on the head in the attack while Zeena, four, escaped unhurt after hiding in the footwell of the family's BMW estate under the skirt of her dead mother for eight hours.

A passing cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, 45,who appeared to have stumbled across the scene, was also killed in the attack, which French investigators have suspected was a contract killing.

Surrey police, who have been working with French detectives, said in a statement: "Detectives investigating the deaths of four people near Annecy, southern France, in September last year have this morning, 24 June 2013, arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

"The 54-year-old man was detained at an address in Chessington, Surrey at around 7.30am and is currently in police custody, where he will be interviewed."

The statement added: "As part of the joint investigation team (JIT), which was established on 21 September last year, officers from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team have been working closely with the French authorities to progress a number of lines of enquiry. This pre-planned arrest is a result of these ongoing enquiries."

Saad al-Hilli's brother Zaid, who lives in Surrey and is in his 50s, has previously denied any feud over a family inheritance.

Police inquiries into the case have spread to a number of other countries including Iraq, the former Yugoslavia and Switzerland.

The two girls are reportedly in the care of a foster family.