Council worker arrested in gun probe

9:47pm Monday 24th March 2008

A COUNCIL officer has been arrested after police seized what they believed to be a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle.

Nadeem Ilyas, 27, of London Road, Blackburn, was arrested at Bangor Street community centre, Blackburn, where he works.

He has now been suspended by Blackburn with Darwen Council pending the outcome of the police investigation and an internal council inquiry.

Ilyas was detained on suspicion of possessing an AK-47 assault rifle without a firearms certificate.

He was arrested after police searched his home and an address in Douglas Place, Blackburn, where it is believed that the "gun" was found in a drawer alongside cans of gun oil.

Another man, aged 32, was also arrested and both suspects have been released on bail pending the outcome of ballistics tests to establish if the "gun" can be fired or if it is a replica.

Council bosses have confirmed that Ilyas, who works in the neighbourhoods department, has been suspended while police look into the incident.

An internal town hall investigation has also been launched.

The council's chief executive Graham Burgess said: "I can confirm that a council officer has been suspended, but can't confirm the details because it might jeopardise either our own investigation or the police investigation.

"We received information from the police and consequently suspended an officer. Suspension is no presumption of guilt."

The amount of time the officer is suspended for will depend on the length of the investigation, Mr Burgess added.

Det Insp Pete Simm said: "A 27-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of posessing an AK-47 assault rifle without a certificate after search warrants were executed at two addresses in Blackburn.

"The gun has been sent away for examination by ballistics experts and the man in questioned has been bailed until May 11."

The AK-47 Kalashnikov is a gas-operated assault rifle which was used in most Eastern bloc countries during the Cold War.

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