Frenchman arrested in Scotland for family murders is not wanted fugitive - source

Frenchman arrested in Scotland for family murders is not wanted fugitive - source
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By Reuters
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PARIS (Reuters) - A Frenchman arrested on Friday in Scotland is not the man suspected of killing his entire family in 2011, a French police source said on Saturday.

The man had been arrested at Glasgow airport on suspicion that he was Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes, who disappeared more than eight years ago, over his suspected involvement in the deaths of his wife and their four children in the western city of Nantes and has been sought by police ever since.

"DNA checks have shown that the man arrested in Glasgow is not Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes," the police source told Reuters, confirming a BFM television report.

French media had earlier on Saturday reported that the man's finger prints had only partially matched those of the alleged assailant, while neighbours interviewed by television stations had said they had no doubt it was not de Ligonnes.

The mystery has transfixed France. De Ligonnes' disappearance has long stumped investigators, leading some to speculate that he has died.

Scottish police had confirmed that a suspect was detained on Friday, although they did not give details of his identity.

(Reporting by Paris bureau; Writing by John Irish; Editing by James Drummond)

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