German police arrest man on suspicion of arms dealing

German paper reported man was suspected of selling weapons to Paris attackers

German police confirmed they arrested a 34-year-old man in Stuttgart on suspicion of arms dealing. Photograph: Google maps
German police confirmed they arrested a 34-year-old man in Stuttgart on suspicion of arms dealing. Photograph: Google maps

Prosecutors in the southern German city of Stuttgart confirmed on Friday they had arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of arms dealing but declined to comment on a report that he may have supplied the militants in Paris with four guns.

“I can confirm that a man is in custody on suspicion of arms trading,” a spokesman for the prosecutor in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said, adding that the arrest had been made on Tuesday.

Earlier on Friday, German newspaper Bild reported that the man was suspected of selling four weapons to the militants who killed 130 people in Paris on November 13th.

The paper said four assault rifles - two AK-47s made in China and two Zasatva M70s made in the former Yugoslavia - were sold online by the man on November 7th to a buyer of "Arab descent".

READ MORE

Four emails since found on the man's smartphone indicate that he was in touch with an "Arab in Paris", Bild said.

The paper added that French prosecutors believe the weapons were used in the Paris attacks.

Reuters