Turkish official claims replicas of U.S. pistol seized in Yemen port

Ankara, Turkey (4E) – A Turkish official claimed Monday that the illegal weapons shipment discovered by customs authorities in Yemen’s port of Aden in November were replicas of a U.S. model pistol and not made in Turkey.

The unnamed official said the 3,000 pistols found in biscuit boxes inside a container on Nov. 3 had no markings indicating they were produced in Turkey.

Turkey’s foreign ministry also denied on Nov. 5 that it authorized the shipment of arms to Yemen noting that it is against Ankara’s policy to export arms to countries at high risk of getting embroiled in a conflict.

The ministry added that it opposes any initiative to derail the reconciliation process in Yemen following the 2011 revolution that toppled its long-time leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Turkey’s Customs and Trade Ministry investigated the arms shipment that Yemeni customs authorities traced to Turkey.

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