The prime suspect in the fatal stabbing of British Rolls-Royce designer Ian Cameron in Germany last week has been photographed for the first time after investigators compared his appearance on CCTV footage to clothing found abandoned near the scene.
Cameron, 74, was found dead at his £3million mansion on Lake Ammersee in Upper Bavaria on Friday evening.
The suspect, a tall Caucasian man with close-cropped blond hair and a short beard, was seen hours earlier at a supermarket less than a mile from the crime scene, wearing a gray T-shirt and blue pants.
CCTV footage from the crime scene later showed an unidentifiable man wearing a dark blue hoodie, light-coloured trousers, gloves and a dark red backpack.
Investigators searching the surrounding area after Cameron was found dead discovered the backpack containing both sets of clothing, suggesting the elusive assailant had changed clothes a second time after the crime to avoid detection.
Police now believe the killer rang Cameron’s doorbell and attacked him when he opened the door, forcing his wife Veronika Kloos (also a former BMW designer) to flee to safety by jumping over a wall.
Suspicions were raised that the designer was deliberately targeted when it emerged that the cables to CCTV cameras in the garages where he kept his valuable vehicles had been cut.
The suspect, a tall Caucasian man with close-cropped blond hair and a short beard, was seen hours earlier at a supermarket less than a mile from the crime scene.
CCTV footage from the crime scene later showed an unidentifiable man wearing a dark blue hoodie and light-coloured trousers, as well as gloves and a dark red backpack.
Police believe the killer rang the doorbell at Cameron’s home in Herrsching am Ammersee before attacking him.
Ian Cameron (2L), a former lead designer at Rolls-Royce, was murdered at his home last week.
Around 30 officers have been deployed to assist in the ongoing search for the attacker after Cameron’s neighbours provided a description of the suspected perpetrator which appeared to closely match his appearance in CCTV footage.
The suspect is said to have been shopping at the Edeka supermarket on Seestraße, just 1.3 kilometres from the designer’s home, shortly before the attack on the Rolls Royce designer took place.
CCTV footage also showed the attacker carrying a red backpack and green and yellow gloves.
After police sent drones and even a police helicopter to search for the killer, they found the backpack, which is now being analyzed for usable DNA traces, a crucial step that could provide a breakthrough in the case.
Super-recognisers, specialists capable of discerning faces even in poor quality images or when attackers are wearing masks, are also being brought in to help identify the suspect.
Earlier this week, the investigation team extended the search to the whole of Germany.
Authorities hope that further evidence from the backpack and CCTV footage will soon lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
Police know that the killer rang the doorbell of the house in Herrsching am Ammersee and attacked Cameron when she opened the door.
Cameron’s wife, Kloos, fled by jumping over a wall to evade the attacker and found refuge with neighbours who called emergency services.
Shortly afterwards, the designer was found dead.
The wife, Verena Kloos, managed to get to her neighbor’s house and call the police.
Mr Cameron and his wife, Veronika Kloos, lived in a £3m home in Herrsching, Bavaria (File)
Investigators discovered that CCTV cameras above the house’s garages had been disabled and cables cut.
An official said According to The Sun, it is “extremely rare” for a burglar who prepares enough to disable CCTV cameras to then “stab and kill” a person.
Police called it a “crime of violence” and said the attacker fled the home on foot.
Despite developing leads, the search for the killer has faced some setbacks.
Heavy rain on Friday night prevented the police helicopter from taking off in time, meaning the search was delayed until officers could deploy drones to survey the area.
The day after the crime, divers and dog handlers searched the area but have so far found no trace of the attacker, apart from the backpack with clothes seen in the CCTV images.
Ian Cameron was a revered figure in the automotive industry, having left a lasting legacy at Rolls-Royce with his innovative designs.
Before retiring from the company in 2013, he was recognized 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.
