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Gun used on al-Hilli is Serbian Mafia's signature weapon
Looks like Al Hilli was trying to sell something to some serious bad boys.IT LOOKS like a contract killing. The Skorpion machine pistol gives the game away it is the signature weapon of the disparate and aggressive Balkan nationalist/criminal fraternity sometimes referred to as the Serbian Mafia, but which includes nationals of all the former states of Yugoslavia. Skorpions, originally designed and manufactured by the Czechs in the 1960s, were made later under licence in Yugoslavia. You can tell the Yugoslav version from its cheap plastic hand-grips. Issued to some Yugoslav soldiers, particularly special forces, it later became the favoured weapon of Serbian ethnic cleansers and thugs including the notorious Arkan. Most versions can be set to fire in three different modes by clicking a switch at the side single rounds, short bursts and fully automatic. The problem with weapons of this type is that although they have a very high rate of fire (850 rounds a minute) their magazine capacity is limited to 20 rounds. The French police say that they have recovered 25 spent cases from the scene all from the same weapon, suggesting that the perpetrator had to change magazines during his killing spree. It's a very light weapon about 3lb (1.36 kg) depending on the version but it fires a heavy bullet (7.65 mm) with considerable stopping power the same calibre as James Bond's Walther PPK. As a result it can be difficult to control and needs to be held firmly in both hands to have any accuracy. It's a bit like holding a powerful electric hand-drill with a mind of its own. Its very short barrel length and tendency to jerk upwards during firing mean that except in expert hands it is not particularly accurate beyond 20ft. Whoever was firing it the French authorities are suggesting only one weapon was used - knew what he was doing. And he made sure that the victims were finished off with two shots to the head a "double tap" in military jargon. It is usually a sign not just of ruthlessness but also of military training. According to some accounts, the same technique was used by US Navy Seals to kill Bin Laden in May 2011. In order to mount such an ambush the murderer needed to be fairly sure that the al-Hilli family were going to be at the secluded car park in the woods outside Chevaline within a certain time window. Either he knew something about their holiday routine or lured them there for a meeting. The latter seems more likely. Witnesses at one of the caravan sites have said that Saad al-Hilli left the site on numerous occasions on his own. Posted by: phil_b 2012-09-13 |
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