The firearms used in Paris terrorist attacks could have come from Romania, the international media noting that only Bulgaria and Romania are still making the AKS-74 assault rifles used in the attacks, reports local Digi24.

AKS-74 is one of the most common assault rifles used in the Balkans and in the Middle East. It was also used in the attacks at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, which happened earlier this month.

After 1989, the S-74 Kalashnikov has only been produced in Romania and Bulgaria.  The international media reports that the firearms used in Paris attacks could have been made in Romania and then exported to the Balkans and the Orient, according to Digi24. The trail is difficult to establish however, even if the wapons' registration numbers corresponded to Romanian manufacturers.

Before 1989, Romania exported Kalashnikovs manufactured under license to countries or revolutionary regimes in Africa, Asia or Latin America.

The Paris attacks were carried out with weapons bought on the black market.

The Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris was attacked earlier this month by two Muslim brothers who were already known to French and international intelligence. After the attack on the Charlie Hebdo newsroom on January 7, they took a hostage in a printing house in Dammartin-en-Goele, a village 30 kilometers from Paris. After several hours on Friday, the security forces moved on the building, killed the two and freed the hostage.

On the same day, an accomplice of the two, Amedy Coulibaly, took  19 hostages in an Israeli supermarket in the Porte de Vincennes suburb of Paris. He was eventually killed by the security forced, and four hostages also died in the attack.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis joined 50 heads of state at a huge solidarity march organized in the French capital on January 11.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Wikipedia)