Two Britons arrested over ‘illegal weapons’

Two Britons have been arrested by Afghan authorities in connection with the discovery of weapons without proper licences.

It was previously reported that the pair, who work for private security contractor GardaWorld, were detained in the capital Kabul because they were found with 30 AK-47 automatic rifles without the right paperwork.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said today: “We can confirm that two British nationals were detained by Afghan authorities in Kabul on January 3 2012.

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“British Embassy officials are in contact with the Afghan authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

The Britons are believed to have been arrested alongside two Afghan colleagues after police found the weapons in their vehicle on Tuesday.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqi reportedly said police who stopped the contractors’ vehicle at a Kabul checkpoint found 30 AK-47 rifles with their serial numbers scratched off and no permits in a metal box covered by a blanket.

All four men were reportedly arrested on suspicion of illegal arms transport and their case sent to Afghanistan’s attorney general for investigation.

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But a spokesman for GardaWorld said they fully complied with all laws and regulations and the guns were being taken to be test-fired before being bought and properly licensed.

He said: “GardaWorld is co-operating fully with the Afghan authorities to resolve this situation.

“The weapons in question were being taken to be tested at a firing range before being purchased and properly licensed by GardaWorld.

“We fully comply with all laws and regulations in our Afghanistan operations and are making every effort to work closely with the Afghan authorities to rectify the situation as soon as possible.”

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The situation is the latest issue involving private security companies in Afghanistan – President Hamid Karzai has ordered all protection companies shut down this year and replaced by a unified government-run protection force.