Picture Of Ak-47 - In 2015, there were more attacks in Europe using Kalashnikovs than any other weapon. Researchers are trying to figure out why - and how
In the early years after 9/11, suicide belts, car bombs and explosive devices were the jihadists' weapons of choice: stealthy, brutal and difficult to counter.
Picture Of Ak-47
But as 2015 came to an end, its atrocities destroyed all the calendars - Charlie Hebdo, Sousse, Garissa, Tunis, Copenhagen and Paris - it was the AK-47 that came to the fore.
Ak 47 Rifle In A Three Color Fade Distressed Cerakote Finish By Armistead Coleman
Across Europe this year, Kalashnikovs have been used in more terrorist attacks than any other weapon. In the November 13th Paris attacks, suicide bombers killed few people, but the gunmen killed many people. In addition, in Tunisia and Kenya, automatic weapons are also causing damage.
The widespread availability of these weapons has been known for several years. But it took the death toll in Paris last month to force Europe to deal with the threat.
Now law enforcement officials across the continent are trying to establish some ground truth. Where do they come from? Who is the mediator dealing with this deadly weapon? And why are they so popular?
Part of the answer can be found in a small cabin under the mountains of central Montenegro in the Balkans. In one of the two empty rooms, Zeljko Voslik was smoking a cigarette.
Ak 47 [animated]
This is a bad place. Mold was growing on the walls, moisture was seeping from the floors, and the only items on display were an old TV, stove, and refrigerator.
Families just ended for generations. But now Voslik is dealing with the realization that his brother, Vlatko, is trying to make a little money on the side as a small player in the big arms business.
"I don't sleep for many nights. I try to remember if there is something to dig, to grab and hold," Zeljko Voslik said.
On November 5, Vlatko Voselik was stopped on a German highway with all his weapons in his boot: a revolver, two pistols, two grenades, 200 grams of TNT. and eight Kalashnikovs.
Afghanistan And The Ak 47
Police have not linked Vlatko to any terrorist plot. But they believe he is a cog, albeit a minor one, in the illegal arms trade, which is worth about $320 million ($210 million) a year worldwide.
His journey, as described by Satnav, followed what experts believe was frequently used by arms smugglers: Montenegro, through Croatia, Slovenia and south to Austria near Rosenheim. To the border crossing into Germany. The final destination is a car park in Paris.
When police use the word Kalashnikov to describe the weapons they seize, they are referring to a legendary brand that has had many reincarnations.
Designed by Soviet General Mikhail Kalashnikov, the first model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, or AK-47, was introduced into active service in the Soviet Army in 1948.
Buyer's Guide To The Ak Family Of Rifles
However, today, the name applies to more than 200 types of weapons of the AK pattern. According to Michael Hodges, author of AK47: The People's Gun Story, there may be about 200 million Kalashnikovs in the world, one for every 35 people.
They are produced - legally, for international trade - in more than 30 countries, with China leading the way.
But legal weapons can quickly become illegal. China mainly exports to African countries. There, they can end up on the black market because they are being sold by low-paid soldiers, or because the government is providing rebel soldiers in another country.
Libya, with its civil war unmatched anywhere on the continent with food and lawlessness, has emerged as a major mouth for weapons.
Cyma Spetsnaz Ak 47 Cqb Aeg
A report by the United Nations Panel of Experts on the Arms Embargo on Libya found that arms were illegally transferred to 14 countries outside its borders, although there was no evidence that Libya was supplying arms to Europe. Sources are not publicly acknowledged. Many experts believe, however, that it is only a matter of time before they are found in the European Union.
In addition to the constant production of new AKs, at the rate of one million per year, there are tens of millions of Kalashnikovs in the Western Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and North Africa that are still operating effectively, despite their existence. in spite of 1980. etc
In Albania alone, after the 1997 uprising, some 750,000 Kalashnikovs disappeared, becoming part of the black market for illegal weapons.
These old weapons, often remanufactured or reactivated by middlemen, are used by criminals and terrorists to take advantage of their extraordinary durability.
Ak 47 Maker In Talks For Joint Venture In India To Manufacture Weapons
"It's a very simple piece of equipment," said Mark Mastaglio, a ballistics expert based in England. "It's so easy to use, that's why you see 12-year-olds carrying it. It's tough, working in any environment - in hot and sandy deserts, or in Siberia. Wherever it's kept, it It's flexible, and that's why it's so popular."
It is estimated that there are up to 900,000 illegal weapons in Serbia, most of which are military AK-type weapons. There are about 750,000 illegal weapons in Bosnia. Many returned home with returning fighters as the long Balkan wars died down in the late 1990s.
"At the end of the war, the whole battalion brought their weapons home," said arms expert Alexander Radek. "For the first few years a lot of people kept it secret, just in case. But then people started selling it on the black market for just €100."
Milojko Berzkovic, head of the Zastava arms factory in Serbia, said French police had found the serial numbers of eight rifles produced by his company. The M70 assault rifle - the Yugoslav version of the AK-47 - found in France was part of a batch delivered by his company to military depots in Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia.
A Black And White Illustration Of An Ak 47 Rifle.
But while tracing the origin of the gun is useful, it does little to trace it back to the hands of an Islamic extremist.
"The lifecycle of weapons is very difficult to trace," said Serbia-based Ivan Zverjanovski, who works on a region-wide UN project to prevent the uncontrolled proliferation and illegal trade of Kalashnikovs and other small arms. are."
"You might know that they were in the Yugoslav army reserves in the late 80s, but you don't know where they were between the 80s and 2015. So it's very difficult to know how they got to Europe. Getting the right kind of information is very important.
Vlatko Vosilek is suspected of being part of what experts call the "monkey trade" - small-scale arms smuggling to and from Europe. Until he passed away, his life was normal. He is not the Lord.
Ca Legal Ak47 Style Rifle
Unmarried, with no children, no criminal record and, according to his brother, struggling to survive, he works in the vineyards in the summer for €400 (£290) a month. Earns less than
However, a month and a half before his trip, Vlatko Vosilek, a man who has never traveled abroad and rarely drives more than a few kilometers from his home, applied for his first passport and international driver's license. requested
"How is it possible for a man who leaves his country for the first time to take half the military barracks with him?" Zeljko said.
But this is a highly unlikely phenomenon, as smugglers are in demand across Europe for military-style weapons.
Toy Ak 47 Machine Gun Military Costume Toy Weapon Accessories
Zverzhanovski said: "The assumption that works, probably true, is that firearms come in like drugs. A lot of them come through the street. It's micro-trafficking. There was no case of large-scale trafficking - we "The trucks did not see anything. It's two or three or five automatic pistols or assault rifles that are loaded into a car or a coach."
Compared to the drug trade, its volume is much smaller - just a few Kalashnikovs, compared to the tons of cocaine that is trafficked - and the gangs behind the trade are often tightly knit.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: "Organized criminal groups responsible for trafficking in persons can be as good an intermediary and as little as a friend on the receiving end." be."
While the arms trade is not as profitable as the drug trade, there are still many benefits. Kalashnikovs can be bought for 300 to 500 euros in the Balkans and can be sold for up to 4,500 euros in Europe. But there is evidence, according to Niels Ducote of the Flemish Peace Institute, that prices are falling, and automatic rifles are available for between €1,000 and €2,000.
Automatic Machine Ak 47 Icon Cartoon Style Vector Image
Another attraction is the difficulty of detection, especially along the Schengen border, and the fact that in many European countries, the penalties for drug trafficking are not as severe as for arms trafficking.
While people like Vlatko Voselik were essential to trade, a trade mule was not always necessary. In Denmark, the main method of smuggling illegal firearms into the country is via heavy goods vehicles, mainly from the Western Balkans, and last year police in Sweden seized a package of automatic weapons that had been transported in a box. .
Sig p365 tulster holster, sig p365 iwb holster, sig holsters p365, sig p365 sas holster, sig p365 xl holster, sig p365 hybrid holster, appendix holster sig p365, safariland holster sig p365, sig p365 belt holster, sig p365 holster, sig p365 purse holster, sig sauer p365 holster
0 Comments