Relatives of two British sisters who survived the "savage" slaying of three members of their family in the French Alps will be brought to the country to be reunited with them, authorities have said.
Post-mortem examinations will be carried out later on Iraqi-born Saad al-Hilli, 50, who was gunned down in his car alongside his dentist wife, named by neighbours as Iqbal, and a woman believed to be her mother.
The al-Hillis' four-year-old daughter, named locally as Zeena, was found alive in the BMW estate underneath the bodies of her relatives around eight hours after the massacre, which also saw a passing French cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, 45, shot dead.
The couple's seven-year-old daughter, believed to be called Zainab, was in a medically induced coma in Grenoble University Hospital after being repeatedly beaten around the head and shot in the shoulder in the attack, which took place on Wednesday.
The motive behind the killings remained a mystery on Friday, with French authorities investigating a number of lines of inquiry.
Police are investigating the campsite the al-Hillis were staying on
Prosecutor Eric Maillaud said British police had reported that the girl's father was in dispute with his brother over money.
However, there was no evidence to suggest this was connected to the incident.
The children, apparently the only witnesses to the shootings on an isolated Alpine road, are now under police protection.
Investigators said no weapon had been found and no arrests had been made.
A house believed to be owned by the family in Claygate
It was also unclear if the shootings were carried out by one killer or a number of people.
One theory is that shots could have been fired during a bungled armed robbery, with Mr Mollier being a witness to the crime.
But speculation about other possible motives, including a pre-planned attack by professional hitmen, remained rife.
According to a family friend, known as James, Mr al-Hilli said his family moved to the UK in the 1970s after their mechanical engineering business was looked upon "unfavourably" by Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party.
It was reported in the Daily Mail that Mr al-Hilli was known to the security services and was put under Metropolitan Police Special Branch surveillance during the second Gulf war.
SEE ALSO:
- French Alps Shooting: Dead Father, Saad Al-Hilli, 'Known' To Security Services (PICTURES)
- Francois Hollande Says Police Will Do Their 'Utmost' To Find Family's Killer
- 'I Know Something About Killings', Says Neighbour
- British Al-Hilli Family Named, Father Saad, Mother Iqbal Killed, Daughters Zainab And Zeena Survive
- Killed Cyclist Named As Sylvain Mollier