Police bust 'weapons manufacturing workshop', youngest suspect is only 12 years old.
The police identified Tran Anh D. and Cao Thanh M. as the two ringleaders and masterminds in gathering and manufacturing weapons to resolve a conflict with another group of young people.
On August 4th, the Bach Mai Ward Police (Hanoi) announced that they are consolidating the case file to prosecute a group of teenagers for the act of possessing illegal substances.weapons manufacturingThe methods were rudimentary and illegal. What's noteworthy is that the members of the group were all very young, the youngest being only 12 years old.
The identities of this group are: Tran Anh D. (born in 2009, residing in Vinh Hung ward, with one prior conviction); Cao Thanh M. (born in 2011, residing in Bach Mai ward); NTS (born in 2009, residing in Vinh Tuy ward); TNM (born in 2012, residing in Hong Ha ward); LTQV and CBL (both born in 2008, residing in Hai Ba Trung ward).
According to Lieutenant Colonel Vu Thai Son, Head of Bach Mai Ward Police, on the afternoon of July 30th, police forces detected unusual activity when several teenagers repeatedly appeared at a house in alley 85, near Lien Phai Pagoda.
"For over an hour, each individual appeared one after another, carrying large sacks into the aforementioned house. Afterward, the house was closed, and no one went in or out. Immediately, the task force of the ward police, in coordination with the local police, raided the house for an administrative inspection," Lieutenant Colonel Son recounted.
At the scene, the police discovered six teenagers gathered together with many dangerous weapons, including: two BB guns, 20 iron pipes (of which five had been welded with sharp knives and saw blades), a welding machine, and other tools for manufacturing.
Through a quick investigation, the police identified Tran Anh D. and Cao Thanh M. as the two ringleaders and masterminds. The reason stemmed from a conflict with another group of young people. On July 29th, D. called M. to discuss the plan and suggested bringing "materials" to M.'s house to manufacture weapons.
Later that afternoon, D. brought a saw blade, a welding machine, and about 20 pig-slaughtering knives. D. confessed that these weapons were supplied by a friend he knew from outside the community named Vu. Knowing that M. had opened a "workshop," the remaining suspects gathered to help and participate.
By the time of their arrest, the group had completed the production of five iron pipes fitted with pig-slaughtering knives, a type of weapon with high lethal potential. Regarding the two BB guns, M. claimed he "found" them and kept them for... self-defense.
