Criminal investigation

Thieves break into German military compound, steal weapons from armored carrier

Unidentified thieves stole weapons from inside a Fox armored personnel carrier after breaking into a military facility in northern Germany, the Bundeswehr confirmed to local media.

The perpetrators stole two G36 assault rifles, one P8 pistol, one flare gun, two magazines without ammunition, two radio devices, and a pair of binoculars, Die Welt reported, adding that the theft occurred on February 13 at a military training area near Munster, Lower Saxony.

The weapons were not loaded at the time of the theft, a ministry spokesperson said, according to Germany’s Bild newspaper.

“The case has been handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office in the city of Lueneburg,” a spokesperson for the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, told Die Welt.

Earlier this week, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that the military needed a faster and more efficient reporting scheme for incidents and potential threats.