Theories about the al-Hilli killings in the French Alps have been upset by the arrest of a local man - a former policeman described as a gun-loving hillbilly.
The 48-year-old man is believed to be the motorcyclist who was seen close to the area where three members of an Iraqi-British family and a French cyclist were killed above Lake Annecy on September 5, 2012.
Investigators said that he was being questioned as a witness and should not be described as a suspect at this stage. They also spoke, however, of a significant breakthrough in the complex, 18-month-old investigation which has chased possible links with Britain, Iraq, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain and the United States.
At least seven other local people may be arrested for acting as a criminal gang, according to authorities. It is unclear whether they will be accused of involvement in the murders or whether they are thought to have conspired to cover the tracks of the suspected murderer.
The official spokesman for the investigation, Eric Maillaud, the Annecy state prosecutor, said that the arrested man had no connection with any of the victims.