Poignant pictures showing murdered French students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez together inside the London flat where they were savagely murdered have emerged.

In one picture, the smiling pair can be seen bonding over a couple of drinks in the kitchen, while in another Mr Bonomo is using a laptop computer.

Six days before the two 23-year-olds were bound, stabbed to death and set alight in the New Cross flat, Mr Bonomo had discovered an intruder stealing his laptop.

Friends Gabriel Ferez and Laurent Bonomo smile at the camera in the kitchen of the flat where they both died

Other photos, taken from a social networking website, show Mr Bonomo and his fiancée Mary Bertez sightseeing in the weeks leading up to his murder.

The couple, who had been together for 10 months, can be seen kissing and smiling as they take in London tourist hot-spots including Baker Street, the home of fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes.

In another photo, shot in their native France, Mr Bonomo can be seen presenting a ring to his fiancée while they share an embrace.

Miss Bertez has since vowed to avenge his death.

Laurent Bonomo in the bedroom of his rented flat in New Cross. On his lap lies the laptop that was stolen from the property six days before his murder

She wrote on Facebook: 'I will never stop thinking about you for a second. I had 10 months of a happiness I had never experienced until then.

'I will give all the required information to the investigation, my dear, so you can be avenged.'

Meanwhile, the parents of Mr Ferez have appealed to the British people to help police catch their son's killer.

Scotland Yard yesterday arrested a 21-year-old man, but he has now been released.

The happy couple pose outside the home of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street

But police are still appealing for witnesses and information about the brutal murders of the gifted research students.

In a statement, Mr Ferez' parents Francoise and Olivier Ferez said: 'The events that have happened are still painful to us. We are trying to come to terms with it all.

'We know what happened to our son may have been the result of someone or some people whose psychological state of mind was disturbed.

'But, as parents, we need the police to find the guilty parties for us to have some kind of explanation.'

So in love: Mr Bonomo presents his fiancée with a ring

They made a direct plea to those who committed the crime to turn themselves in, saying: 'You will not be able to live in hiding forever. You may be scared and feel like a coward, but you must recognise this terrible mistake you made. Rest assured that we will not leave you in peace.'

The statement also paid tribute to the men and called on the people of London to be 'vigilant against crime'.

'If you know of anything unusual or suspicious that may help in this investigation - someone acting strangely, something you overheard, someone who has gone missing - please do report this to police,' the statement said.

'Tell the police anything you know; do not be afraid. Do not feel useless or like an "informer".

Tragic: Gabriel Ferez poses with Mary Bertez shortly before his death

'Someone, somewhere must know something that will help to solve this terrible crime.

'Finally, we ask that you protect your children and protect yourselves.

'It is too late for Gabriel, an angel who is now a victim after giving us 23 years of love and who was always ready to help others around him. His friend Laurent was alike.

'Please help us to reveal the truth. Help us to know, to understand and to come to terms with our loss.

'We still have a long way to go on earth. Gabriel had a sister and a young brother who are now crying from their loss.

Miss Bertez has vowed to avenge her fiancé's killing

'We ask our friends, the British people, please help us.'

Officers arrested the suspect in connection with the killings at 3.40am yesterday and held him for interview at a police station in south-east London.

The Frenchmen were living in the capital while they worked on three-month research projects at Imperial College.

Mr Ferez, who lived in South Norwood, had travelled to spend last Sunday evening at his friend's rented flat in Sterling Gardens, New Cross, where they were playing computer games.

Neighbours dialled 999 after an explosion blew the windows out and ignited a fierce blaze shortly after 10pm. They called out to find out if anybody was in the flat but nobody responded.

Horrific: Mr Bonomo and Mr Ferez's bodies were found inside the former's rented flat in New Cross, south-east London

The detective in charge of the inquiry said the injuries were the worst he had ever seen and had left everyone involved in the investigation 'deeply shocked'.

A pathologist documented 243 separate injuries to the students' badly-burned bodies, with Mr Bonomo suffering 80 wounds after he died.

Police are investigating whether they were killed for the sake of two handheld Sony PSP games consoles stolen from the flat.

Officers are also hunting a black Packard Bell laptop taken in a previous burglary six days earlier while Mr Bonomo was in the shower.

The bio-chemistry students were in the second year of a three-year Master's degree.
Mr Bonomo, from Velaux, near Marseille, and Mr Ferez, from Prouzel, near Amiens, had been selected to take part in three-month research projects and were due to return home later this month.

Tributes have poured in to the two men, describing them as brilliant students with glittering futures ahead of them.

The director of the French university attended by Mr Bonomo and Mr Ferez spoke of the 'brilliant professional future' the murdered men have been denied.
Claude-Gilles Dussap, head of the Polytech Clermont-Ferrand in central France, also said a silent procession would be held on campus on Monday to commemorate the murdered men.

In a statement, Mr Dussap said: 'Laurent and Gabriel were particularly known for their commitment in the life of our school and beyond the normal structures that govern student life. They were promised a brilliant professional future.'

Det Chief Insp Mick Duthie, leading the investigation, said: 'The more we find out about them the more we find they were good, honest, hard-working young men - very intelligent, never caused anybody any problems, they were well liked and come from respectable families. This is just a tragedy.'