No Charges In Alps Murder Arrest

French prosecutors say no charges will be brought against a man arrested in connection with the killing of a British engineer and his family.

The 48-year-old has been released from police custody in relation to the killings but is still being investigated over his alleged involvement in arms trafficking.

Saad al-Hilli and his wife Ikbal, from Claygate in Surrey, and her mother Suhaila al-Allaf, who lived in Sweden, were shot dead on a remote forest road in Chevaline, near Annecy, on September 5, 2012. A local cyclist, Sylvain Mollier, was also murdered.

French police arrested a 48-year-old, believed to be a former policeman from the Haute-Savoie region of France, in connection with the killings on Tuesday.

French prosecutor Eric Maillaud said he was released from police custody today after investigators found "no direct link" between him and the events of September 5.

The weapon used in the crime has not been found, and neither has the helmet featured in an e-fit of a motorcyclist spotted near the scene of the shootings, nor the motorbike.

He said the investigation into the murders is continuing.