A West German prosecutor accused a company in the western city of Essen on Monday of illegally shipping giant gun barrels to Iraq.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office confirmed that an investigation has been opened to determine whether managers of the Ferrostaal Co. violated export laws. The firm has refused to comment.
The gun barrels allegedly supplied by Ferrostaal are said to be part of a huge cannon the Iraqis are assembling, capable of hurling missiles as far as Israel or Iran.
Large metal tubing, said to be part of a gun barrel manufactured in Britain, was being trucked to Iraq when it was confiscated recently at the Greek port of Patras.
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