WAR: Arms Cache Found at Iraq Embassy in London

A cache of weapons including four machine guns was found in a safe at the abandoned Iraq embassy in London. Also found in the embassy, which was evacuated in 2003 in the lead-up to the Iraq war, were handguns with silencers, bugging devices and equipment that may have been used for torture. The arms were discovered by Iraq's newly appointed ambassador to the U.K.



I think the most disturbing thing to be found was the silenced weapons. There is only one kind of operation that this type of equipment is used for, and that is clandestine murder or assassination.

At the end of the article it mentions the 1984 murder of police officer Yvonne Fletcher by shots that appeared to come from the Libyan embassy during a protest there. There are some conspiracy theories floating around that the murder was a set up to frame the Libyans.

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[edit on 2005/6/8 by wecomeinpeace]

I find it odd that materials used for clandestine operations are found along side instruments for torture..........doesn't make sense. And in a vault in an embassy in London....? Sounds dubious to me, something else is going on........imo.

I find it odd that materials used for clandestine operations are found along side instruments for torture..........doesn't make sense. And in a vault in an embassy in London....? Sounds dubious to me, something else is going on........imo.

I would not worry about this. Now if the new ambassador had not made this public then I would worry.

MShock doesn't sound worried, he said "odd". I think what he was implying is that the equipment may have been planted. I agree, it's a little bit fishy.

mmmmm... you'd think that these items would have been sent back, along with all other documents etc, when the embassy closed.

No big shock though. I'm sure many other embassies have arsenals that would equip a small central American country. As embassies are used by "intelligence" agents too, they probably have the necessary tools of the trade, including silenced weapons. As diplomatic bags are exempt from checking, they can pretty much bring in and take out whatever they want.

Precisely what I meant, wecomeinpeace. Good intentions, though, shot ole sport.

And to think... most of you still feel we should have never toppled this regime. If they left machine guns, uzis, and handguns with silencers behind... imagine the things that they took with them!

Originally posted by Rasputin13
And to think... most of you still feel we should have never toppled this regime. If they left machine guns, uzis, and handguns with silencers behind... imagine the things that they took with them!

OMG
I guess we really need to topple the US regime then.
They've probably got a lot more than just a few Uzis, handguns and machine guns at their embassies.

while it doesn't surprise me that they found these things in an Iraqi embassy, it does surprise me that they were left behind when they vacated the premises.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
OMG
I guess we really need to topple the US regime then.
They've probably got a lot more than just a few Uzis, handguns and machine guns at their embassies.

Exactly what I wanted to point out.

How many Marines are in an US Embassy?

Whats their Armament?

Where is the Armory and what does it contain?

damn, I wonder how hard it'd have been to sneak in there and find all sorts of goodies. Maybe that guy who explores London's ancient underground works knows a way in.

And those who find yet another anti-American post in this-you should know better. Americans do not use silencers. We like things *loud*! Bigger, better, faster, and all that.

Do you honestly think a big badass Marine is going to carry a single shot pistol with a silencer? firing a .22 or maybe .380 round? (contrary to movies, silenced weapons lock the slide between each shot, or have no slide at all. Nor are large shells used-rounds must be subsonic-and the silencers only last a limited number of shots, not hundreds of rounds like in a Hollywood spy film.) Not in your life. Grenade launchers, .50 semi automatic bolt action antimateriel rifles, belt fed automatics.

You see, America doesn't need to sneak anything into it's embassies. We have whole bases for visiting nastiness on people. We air drop in anyone, anywhere, anytime. Using your embassy, as a means to decieve the enemy into thinking you care about peace, is the means of small nations without the means or the desire to do things right. Right, meaning with big guns and HALO operations with commandos. Stuff Iraq could have purchased, easily, had their leadership not been crazy/stoned/on some sort of Messianic trip.

Seems I recall prior to the Iraq war that those who had gained asylumn in other countries were complaining that Iraq was still coming after them. Perhaps these 'tools' were used to keep ex-Iraqis from blabbing, and or to intimidate the folks still left at home by torturing those who left.

Originally posted by Phugedaboudet
Do you honestly think a big badass Marine is going to carry a single shot pistol with a silencer? firing a .22 or maybe .380 round? (contrary to movies, silenced weapons lock the slide between each shot, or have no slide at all. Nor are large shells used-rounds must be subsonic-and the silencers only last a limited number of shots, not hundreds of rounds like in a Hollywood spy film.) Not in your life. Grenade launchers, .50 semi automatic bolt action antimateriel rifles, belt fed automatics.

You can put a can on any caliber weapon. Subsonic ammunition definately improves the cans effectiveness, but regular rounds are still significantly suppressed. It is absolutely incorrect to say that all silenced waepons lock the slide back after each shot. The effectiveness of a silencer does decrease over time but many are very capable of handling plenty of rounds before requiring service.

Interesting story....

Back on topic what's the 'spent ammunition' in the original story?

Is that out of date or unusable or whats left after using them?

It's what's left after using them - the shell casings which can be traced back to the source. About all you can tell from the projectile is the calibre and rifling pitch in the barrel, which only gives you the gun's manufacturer.

Shell casings can tell you the ammunition manufacturer and possibly the batch it came from by analysing the brass. Fingerprints are also retained on the casings even after firing.

trained agents never leave shell casings behind, so the fact they were stored in the embassy is evidence of shootings committed in the UK by Iraqi agents.

How many Marines are in an US Embassy?
Whats their Armament?
Where is the Armory and what does it contain?

Between 5 and 24. It depends on the size of the Embassy/consulate and the required worklaod.
Marine Security Guard Battalion

Currently, more than 1,000 Marine Security Guards serve at nearly 140 diplomatic missions worldwide

Do the math 1,000 divided 140 is 7.8...so there is an average 7 Marines per Embassy.
Of course the Marines have ammunition...anyone can see this even in the movies.

And the Marines do not do covert ops....they only protect the interior of the Embassy or Consulate. Local guards and local nation poilce protect the exterior.