In reading about the horrific attack by the Tunisian mass shooter, it appears that he used two weapons systems: an AKM rifle (commonly referred to as an AK47, almost certainly in 7.62×39 caliber) with several standard 30-round magazines. It has wooden furniture, the AKM muzzle brake, and a web sling.  It’s missing the standard cleaning rod from under the barrel.  It was likely manufactured in Egypt…

From a colleague on freerepublic:

Appears to be an Egyptian Maadi [or MISR] AKM. Doesn’t have the vertical gas block of later stamped-receiver AKs based on the AK74 receiver, very frequently identified as *AKMs* though internally, they are not. But it appears to have the Russian-style ribbed top cover, and *possibly* a black plastic pistol grip. They’re VERY widely distributed in the Middle East going back to the 1970s; The Soviets set up the factory for the Egyptians when they were a loyal client state, then by way of thanks, beginning with the Carter Administration, more than a million Egyptian Maadi AKs were distributed to the Afghani Mujhadeen for use in killing the Soviet infidel invaders, with a large bit of the start-up money for that arms pipeline supplied by the Carter-era CIA and State Department. It does appear to be in caliber 7,62x39mm, based on the usual AK47/AKM steel magazine; can’t see the back edge of it to tell if it’s typical Euro/Soviet ribbed, or Chinese/North Korean seamed…though the Chinese have produced both types in massive quantities.

The Maadi/MISR rifle was also sold in this country as a semi-auto, both with and without a *thumbhole* stock to beat the *assault weapons* ban on the as-issued buttstock.

The other weapon is an IED fragmentation grenade. You can see the ball bearings or similar projectiles secured to the outside of the device by transparent tape. The fusing system appears to have been removed and placed next to the device by security personnel. At least two of the devices, perhaps more, were used in the attack, though it is unclear if they caused any deaths directly.

From my colleague:

The grenade/fuze: Does not appear to be a common frag grenade fuze assembly, certainly not a US M213 [M67 frag grenade] bouchon-type fuze, most recently seen with the C70 detonator. Likewise it’s not a Soviet F1/RGD-5 grenade UZRGM fuze, also used on the Soviet/Russian RG-41, RG-42, RGO-78, RGN-86 grenades. I suspect it’s a demolition kit item rather than a grenade fuze; it may have been the user’s no-delay *final exit* to avoid capture and take a close-in enemy with him, particularly if wounded.

The picture above shows the shooter down with the rifle and improvised explosive device on the right.

The rifle used in the attack does not appear to be one of those pictured in an image posed by the shooter before the attack. These rifles have different furniture than the one located with the mass shooters body. The wood stock of the rifle on the left extends well to the rear of the rear sight block, which suggests that it is a mock up or a training dummy. It does not have a forward lug for the cleaning rod.

From my colleague:

The rifle on the left does have an odd-looking stock and handguard, *might* be Chinese Type-63 based rather than AKM, though the estimate that it’s a dummy or mock-up is not quite my take on it. My guess is that it’s a bayonet practice or hand-to-hand fighting training rifle, which could easily have had furniture broken during use, thence replaced with whatever could be made to fit. That just might be a bakelite upper/forward handguard [same analysis] but the thought that it’s used for such activities would also help explain away the missing cleaning rod. It also looks very maybe like the rifle has a 30-round AK74 brown/*brick red* bakelite 5,45x39mm magazine rather than an older AK47/AKM magazine…but those have also been widely distributed made of synthetic material as well.

The other AK, to *Smiley’s* left side also looks like it might have an AK74 magazine, and the shadows near the muzzle *could* be that of a bulbous AK74 flash hider/muzzle break [*flame extinguisher* in Russian nomenclature] The stock on that rifle looks to be a late-issue black plastic AK74M stock with *grasping ribs,* possible a late receiver lock side folder [AK full-stocked sidefolders usually fold to the left side [non-ejection port side] of the rifle to retain user access to the ejection port-side selector/safety lever. Some of the tube stock versions [Romanian, East German, Hungarian, Polish, Egyptian, Chinese] side folders don’t bother, and allow the folder to go to the ejection port side, since the tube sections block the safety to a lesser extent.

The shooter had at least three magazines, perhaps more. From Jihadwatch.org:

Rezgui was apparently well aware of the hotel’s layout, a security source said. He had time to reload his rifle at least twice before he was finally confronted and shot dead by police outside the hotel.

The shooter targeted tourists and attempted to avoid locals:

“I was on the beach when he started shooting. We got everyone back toward the hotel, but he followed us. He targeted the foreigners but not the Tunisians,” said Wadia, a waiter.

“When he saw a Tunisian he shouted out ‘Get out of the way’ and shot at foreigners.”

It is reported that the shooter had psychoactive drugs in his system, similar to cocaine. The attack is said to have taken about seven minutes. I have not read any reports of attempted resistance, though some bystanders are reported to have followed the shooter and taken pictures. Perhaps they thought they would be useful for evidence afterward.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

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22 COMMENTS

  1. Get your big ‘ol glass of milk ready. This brand of summer fun is likely to spread here.

  2. Hmmm… Not sure what I think about this thing where we minutely analyze the weapons of mass murderers. Maybe it serves a purpose, but it seems to me that precisely what they used doesn’t matter much. The whole exercise feels vaguely “ick” to me, a bit like publishing the “manifestos” so many wackos seem to regard as part of their posthumous claim to fame.

    I’d rather deny them any fame, notoriety, or recognition at all. If we have to discuss what they did, let’s do it without their names (which you did; good job there, Dean). After what he did, this guy doesn’t deserve a human name anymore.

    Maybe it makes me a terrible person, but I actually kind of liked seeing that fecal stain lying dead in his own blood. Too bad it happened just a few minutes too late. sic semper…

    • +1 – I think it should be reported that they begged for mercy before shooting themselves, and that the autopsy revealed Hello Kitty pink panties (issued directly by the Chinese Military) and that they were found dead with a pacifier in their mouth.

    • I agree… the fact that it’s an AK and whether it’s semi or full seems sufficient rather than mixing gun porn with gore porn.

    • I couldn’t agree more. Slavering over details of which guns these shitheads use is pretty gross. Poring over photos to determine if he used Russian or Chinese magazines is a pointless and masturbatory exercise.

      Aren’t we the ones who keep saying that guns are only a tool, no different than a hammer or a knife? Would we be obsessing over whether the weapon some monster cracked a skull with was a Stanley or an Estwing hammer?

  3. I heard on the news this afternoon that the Tunisia attack has motivated Britain to embrace “Boots on the ground” in Syria. Syria and Assad have not been playing ball with the PNAC crowd who drew up a laundry list of countries they wanted whacked, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, etc. Which got my conspiracy Spidey Sense tingling. A convenient event if you have a certain agenda you want to advance.

  4. Seven minutes is a pretty short response time all things considered,the only way it could have been shortened was on site security (but we already knew that).

    Glad to see his name was not mentioned, I just cant help but think A) yes we need to analyze these things and use the data to prepare and B) these scumbags deserve to be wiped from the annals of history so swiftly the ink was not yet dry.

    • “the only way it could have been shortened was on site security…”

      Or possibly someone who was not ‘security’ per se but was armed and willing to fight for their life.

  5. If only there were background checks
    That covered foreign countries citizens
    That jihadis wouldn’t pass
    Or, if we could just get rid of guns. . .

    STUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPIDSTUPID

    • I know, I should spell check instead of typing so many STUPIDs, but I’m sticking with my answer.

  6. i dont get why any of this matters. its pretty callous and tasteless that people were murdered yet all you talk about is what gun killed them. very poor taste.

  8. I really didn’t like this segment in the past and I like it even less now. I can’t really adequately describe why this isn’t right but it’s just disturbing. I also think it could be twisted against us.

  9. Somehow, some way, this will be the NRA’s fault and the fault of American gun owners. Oh, I forgot that this will be Kalashnikov’s, er, Bushmaster’s fault as well.

  10. Carter era? Ammosexuals are desperate to smear Democrats while the same crazy ammosexuals forgive Reagan era and Bush 2 era war crimes.

    History is catching up with dick (Cheney) suckers on the reich. And quickly.

    • You know, you can say ammosexuals all you like if it makes your little black heart feel better, but I have to admit I rather kind of like it. You, on the other hand, are just a stain on humanity. Sort of like the abovementioned perp. That is all.

      Tom

  11. “It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.”

    Sun Zsu said that, but then what are he and this veteran going to tell a bunch of Call of Duty generals about war that they don’t already know themselves.

    Knowing your enemy includes, amongst a myriad of other things, knowing his preferred arms and explosive devices. And for the record, refusing to print a shooters/bombers/whoever’s name for whatever reasoning is popular right now, is so damn childish. Just so you know…

  12. I think to the left from our point of view besides *smiley* that’s some AKM variant rather than a prop or type63, with a bakelite magazine and the confusing (or at least, identification preventing) factor is the sling hanging there blocking the view… 🙂

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