The rifle could be Berretta AR-70/90

KOCHI: The police, who are yet to seize the weapons used by Latorre Massimilano and Salvatore Girone to kill the two fishermen, suspect that rifle they used could be Berretta AR-70/90. The postmortem report has confirmed that the rifle, used for firing around 20 rounds at the trawlers, had a caliber with a 5.56 mm NATO bore. Trails of 15 bullets were also found on the boat, the police said.According to a top official, the rifle would be either SOCIMI AR-832/FS Assault Rifle  or Italian-made Beretta AR-70/90, SC-70/90/ and SCP-70/90. "We cannot confirm the make of the rifle. But we have identified that 5.56 mm NATO bore caliber was used in it. From the bullet marks received from the body, we can say that the shot was perfectly marked. The guns may have night-vision sight and telescope,” he said.The police suspect that it could be Berretta AR-70/90, since it is a popular variety among the the Italian military personnel. “The chances of using Beretta AR-70/90 are high as they are Italian made and, more importantly, used by the Italian navy. SOCIMI AR-832/FS is also an Italian-made rifle, but not used by marines nowadays.Both are gas operated, magazine-fed and is a selective fire weapon. Barretta carries 5.56x45mm NATO bore caliber. The rifles is operational for single shots, 3 rounds bursts (optional) and full auto, but this is our preliminary assessment and it only can be confirmed after conducting the Forensic examination once we seize the guns,” police official said.