Australian police search for stolen rocket launchers
Sydney (dpa) - Australian police believe rogue elements in the Army may be behind the black market sale of rocket launchers after only one of nine anti-tank weapons suspected to have been stolen was recovered, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday.
The theft of military weapons was uncommon, according to Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James, but security systems were not foolproof.
He said the only previous case of a rocket launcher being used by civilians in Australia was an incident between two criminal gangs in the 1980s. That rocket launcher had been smuggled in from abroad.
The military have not confirmed that it has lost weaponry.
"Large weapon thefts from the military is actually reasonably rare, but every so often the odd weapon does go missing, generally it's an internal job," James said. "Any system is not completely foolproof, especially to an inside job, that's why most bank fraud is done by bank employees."
The recovered rocket launcher had its serial number filed off, making it impossible for police to determine its provenance. It was recovered after police paid a bounty to an underworld figure, the paper claimed. // © 2006 DPA
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