December 8, 2001

Terrorists are dialling 'M' for murder

By TOM GODFREY -- Toronto Sun

Toronto-area cops are being warned of an ingenious gun that looks like a cellphone and is said to be a favourite of terrorists.

The cellphone-gun is designed to fire four .22 caliber bullets and can be lethal from close range, police say.

"The weapon looks like a real cellphone and it is very hard to tell the difference," one officer said yesterday.

The bullets fit in a cartridge that is placed into the battery compartment of the cell.

Then the phone is turned on to activate a firing mechanism. Number 1 on the dial pad is pressed to fire a bullet from one of four tiny barrels hidden in the antenna end of the phone. Another shot is fired by pressing number 2, a third by depressing three and another by hitting four.

Canada Customs spokesman Mark Butler said that none of the weapons have been found in Canada. However, a cache of the weapons was seized by police in Amsterdam earlier this year.

During their probe of Sept. 11, U.S. police came to believe that some al-Qaida terrorists had the cellphone-guns. Now, airport security officials demand passengers produce and activate their cells before boarding flights.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2001