Editor's note, August 22, 2019: The report that this story was based on was wrong, and the Associated Press corrected its story a week after publication. The weapon in question was not used in the Paris attacks and, in fact, was in the possession of authorities in Mexico, the AP said in its correction.
A gun used in the Paris terrorist attacks that killed 130 people has been reported linked to a company that operates in Vermont.
The Associated Press reported Friday that an M92 semiautomatic pistol fired in the attacks had been exported from Serbia to Century International Arms, based in Delray Beach, Fla. That company has long maintained a large facility in Georgia, Vt. The AP did not report that the weapon specifically came from Vermont, and said how it got back to Europe was not known.
Vermont Public Radio
reported that Brady Toensing, a lawyer in Vermont speaking for Century International Arms,
said in an emailed statement Friday that the company is cooperating with authorities.
“We have received an unconfirmed report that a pistol that was legally imported into the United States and legally sold to a licensed, domestic firearms dealer more than two years ago may have been recovered from the scene of the Paris shootings,” Toensing said, according to VPR. “We are unable to confirm that report, but are assisting authorities with their investigation into this matter.”
As Seven Days has previously reported, Century International Arms has maintained a low-profile presence in Vermont for decades. The company sells a number of assault rifles that news investigations over the years have linked to Mexican drug lords, the Nicaraguan Contras and other controversial organizations.
In 2013,
Seven Days reported:
But Century’s global reach extends well beyond Vermont. Its online catalogue features a dizzying array of pistols, rifles and shooting accessories, offered for sale to law enforcement and the public. They include the M16, M60, RPK and numerous variants of the iconic Russian Kalashnikov. Century’s C93 semiautomatic rifle — featured on Ted Nugent’s July 2011 “Spirit of the Wild” TV show on the Outdoor Channel — comes equipped with two 40-round magazines and a bayonet “while supplies last,” the catalog reads.