Shocker: Gun used in Paris terrorist attack part of Fast and Furious gun walking op
One of the guns used by terrorists to shoot up Paris on November 13 of last year originated in Phoenix,, AZ and was sold illegally as part of the Fast and Furious gun walking operation.
And ATF agents did their best to cover up that information.
A Report of Investigation (ROI) filed by a case agent in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) tracked the gun used in the Paris attacks to a Phoenix gun owner who sold it illegally, “off book,” Judicial Watch’s law enforcement sources confirm. Federal agents tracing the firearm also found the Phoenix gun owner to be in possession of an unregistered fully automatic weapon, according to law enforcement officials with firsthand knowledge of the investigation.
The investigative follow up of the Paris weapon consisted of tracking a paper trail using a 4473 form, which documents a gun’s ownership history by, among other things, using serial numbers. The Phoenix gun owner that the weapon was traced back to was found to have at least two federal firearms violations—for selling one weapon illegally and possessing an unregistered automatic—but no enforcement or prosecutorial action was taken against the individual. Instead, ATF leaders went out of their way to keep the information under the radar and ensure that the gun owner’s identity was “kept quiet,” according to law enforcement sources involved with the case. “Agents were told, in the process of taking the fully auto, not to anger the seller to prevent him from going public,” a veteran law enforcement official told Judicial Watch.
It’s not clear if the agency, which is responsible for cracking down on the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, did this because the individual was involved in the Fast and Furious gun-running scheme. An ATF spokesman, Corey Ray, at the agency’s Washington D.C. headquarters told Judicial Watch that “no firearms used in the Paris attacks have been traced” by the agency. When asked about the ROI report linking the weapon used in Paris to Phoenix, Ray said “I’m not familiar with the report you’re referencing.” Judicial Watch also tried contacting the Phoenix ATF office, but multiple calls were not returned.
The only language these people understand is the language of lawsuits. You have to pry information from them using the federal courts, who have been more than cooperative in getting government to open up and disclose their wrongdoing. In this case, leaks from within the law enforcement community aided Judicial Watch in their investigation. If the documents still exist that confirm this info, they were likely destroyed long ago with other Fast and Furious docs.
I'm sure the French government would be very interested in following up on this investigation. But if the denial by ATF is any indication, the stonewall will continue and French intelligence will be denied access to any helpful information.