The chief suspect in the fatal stabbing of British Rolls-Royce designer Ian Cameron in Germany last week has been pictured for the first time after investigators matched his appearance in CCTV footage to clothes found abandoned near the scene.
Cameron, 74, was found dead at his £3 million mansion in Lake Ammersee in Upper Bavaria on Friday evening.
The suspect, a tall Caucasian man sporting closely cropped blond hair and a short beard, was seen hours earlier at a supermarket less than a mile from the murder scene wearing a grey T-shirt and blue trousers.
CCTV footage from the crime scene later showed an unidentifiable man wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, light-coloured trousers, gloves and a dark red backpack.
Investigators conducting a search of the surrounding area after Cameron was found dead discovered the backpack containing both sets of clothes – suggesting the elusive assailant had changed his garments a second time after the crime to avoid detection.
Police now believe the killer rang the doorbell to Mr Cameron’s home and attacked him when he opened the door, forcing his wife Veronika Kloos – also a former designer at BMW – to flee to safety over a wall.
Suspicions were raised that the designer was deliberately targeted when it emerged the cables to CCTV cameras over the garages where his high-value vehicles were kept had been cut.
The suspect, a tall Caucasian man sporting closely cropped blond hair and a short beard was seen hours earlier at a supermarket less than a mile from the murder scene
CCTV footage from the crime scene later showed an unidentifiable man wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and light-coloured trousers, as well as gloves and a dark red backpack
Police understand that the killer rang the doorbell at Mr Cameron house in Herrsching am Ammersee before attacking him
Ian Cameron (2L) a former top designer for Rolls-Royce, was killed at his home last week
Some 30 officers have been deployed to assist in the ongoing hunt for the attacker after Cameron’s neighbours provided a description of the suspected perpetrator that appeared to closely match his appearance in security camera footage.
The suspect is said to have been shopping in the Edeka supermarket on Seestraße just 0.8 miles from the designer’s house shortly before the attack on the Rolls Royce designer unfolded.
CCTV footage also showed the attacker carrying a red rucksack and green-yellow gloves.
After police sent drones and even a police helicopter to search for the murderer, they found the rucksack, which is now being analysed for usable DNA traces – a crucial step that could provide a breakthrough in the case.
Super-recognisers – specialists with the ability to discern faces even in poor-quality images or when perpetrators wear masks – are also being brought in to help identify the suspect.
The investigation team earlier this week extended the manhunt to the whole of Germany.
Officials hope that new evidence from the rucksack and CCTV footage will soon lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
Police understand that the killer rang the doorbell of the house in Herrsching am Ammersee and launched his attack on Cameron as he opened the door.
Cameron’s wife Kloos fled over a wall to evade the attacker, finding refuge with neighbours who called the emergency services.
A short time later, the designer was found dead.
Wife Verena Kloos managed to get to their neighbour’s house and phone the police
Mr Cameron and his wife, Veronika Kloos, lived in a £3m home in Herrsching, Bavaria (File)
Investigators discovered that the CCTV cameras above the garages to the house had been disabled, with the wires having been cut.
An officer told The Sun it is ‘extremely rare’ that a burglar who prepares enough to disable CCTV then ‘stabs and kills’ a person.
Police labelled it a ‘violent crime’ and said the attacker fled on foot from the house.
Despite the developing leads, the search for the killer has faced some setbacks.
Heavy rain on Friday evening prevented the police helicopter from taking off on time, meaning the search was delayed until officers could deploy drones to canvas the area.
The day after the crime, divers and dog handlers scoured the area but have thus far found no trace of the attacker besides the backpack containing clothing seen in the CCTV footage.
Ian Cameron was a revered figure in the automotive industry, having left a lasting legacy at Rolls-Royce with his groundbreaking designs.
Before retiring from the company in 2013, he was championed for his work on luxury cars, including the 3 Series, Z8, Phantom and Ghost.
His untimely death has shocked the small, quiet community on the shores of Lake Ammersee.