French authorities are examining a Luger pistol discovered in Lake Annecy, a find that offers renewed hope in the cold case investigation into the 2012 murders of the British al-Hilli family. The weapon was found by tourists on August 20 in the lake, which is near the campsite where Saad al-Hilli, his wife, his mother-in-law, and a passing cyclist were killed.

The victims were all shot with a Luger P06 pistol, a model previously used by the Swiss army. The discovery of a similar weapon in a lake not far from the crime scene, initially mistaken for a water pistol by the tourists who found it due to its weight, has prompted forensic examination. The pistol has sustained significant damage from its time submerged in water.

The murders of Saad al-Hilli, his wife, and mother-in-law occurred on September 5, 2012, in their car on a forest road near Chevaline in eastern France. The vehicle's engine was still running when the bodies were discovered. A cyclist passing the scene was also killed.

The two young daughters of Saad al-Hilli survived the attack. The elder daughter sustained a head injury from being struck with a pistol butt, while the younger daughter was found unharmed hours later, hidden beneath her mother's skirts in the car.

Forensic analysis of fragments found at the crime scene had previously identified the murder weapon as a Luger P06. The model's status as more of a collector's item than a readily available working firearm had previously cast doubt on theories involving a professional hit.

The proximity of Lake Annecy to Switzerland, where the Luger P06 was familiar through military service, is noted. French police have stated that many examples of the gun are held by families on both sides of the Franco-Swiss border.

Investigations in both France and the UK have, over the past 14 years, explored various leads, including familial disputes over money, the possibility of a random attack by an unstable individual, and theories suggesting the cyclist may have been the primary target. The brief consideration of a connection to the death of the al-Hilli's wife's first husband, an American who died of a natural causes shortly before the murders, was also investigated.

Approximately 60,000 Luger P06 models were manufactured, with the total production of Luger pistols estimated at around three million.