Two brothers were jailed after firearms, including a “homicide” submachine gun, were found hidden in an outbuilding in Birmingham. The huge weapons depot was opened after armed cops raided their home in Small Heath.
Azim Hussein, 34, tried to slow down West Midlands police officers at the front door of the Mansell Road property as his older brother, Noued, 39, ran from behind to hide his weapons and ammunition. Two bags were found by officers during a search of the property in an annex.
In Armani’s bag they found a 9 mm self-loading pistol, “ready to use” with a bullet loaded in the barrel and another bullet in the magazine. Next to it was a Nike sports bag containing a three-piece shortened rifle, a 0.45 caliber M3 submachine gun, and a 0.38 caliber Webley cartridge and revolver.
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The bag also contained a .45 caliber bullet, a rifle handle, 35 rifle cartridges, 15 9 mm cartridges, re-equipped with ball bearings, two 9 mm cartridges and a .45 caliber cartridge. Azim tried to take full responsibility for the firearms, claiming that he was taking care of them for someone else he would not name, and insisting that Noued was completely innocent.
But the evidence presented in court proved that this was a lie. Video of police officers and eyewitnesses testified that Noued actually hid the weapons and ammunition in the annex.
Weapons seized (Image: WMP)
Azim pleaded guilty to six counts of possession of firearms and ammunition in an earlier court appearance in Birmingham. Knowid pleaded not guilty to possession of firearms and ammunition, but the jury unanimously found him guilty.
Azim was in prison for seven years and Nouid for three years. Detective Officer Darren Wilkie, of the CID, is leading a police investigation in which armed cops raided the brothers’ home on July 16 last year.
He said: “You don’t have to be a weapons expert to find out what damage a submachine gun made for World War II killing can do on the busy streets of Birmingham. The fact that the pistol was loaded with a real bullet in the barrel indicates that they were ready for use, either by Azim and Nouid, or by other people.
“I believe our investigation has saved lives. We may never know what the brothers planned, but I suspect that these were tools for committing a serious crime. Thanks to the information we received and the actions we took, four cannons and 56 bullets are now in our security store, ready to be destroyed.
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