Assault rifles from Iraq used in Washington robberies

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Washington-area gang behind a string of bank robberies reportedly used AK-47 assault rifles that a former US soldier had smuggled from Iraq, investigators said.

The Washington Post said that an FBI spokesman at the Baltimore field office confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was on the case.

"We were asked to look into it even though there is no formal investigation," he told AFP.

The string of hold-ups in 2004 was notable for the overwhelming firepower used by the gangsters, eight of whom were later questioned, including two who became government witnesses, the Post reported Sunday.