Man sought over lost army weapon

The SA80 is capable of firing 700 rounds per minute

Police searching for an assault rifle lost during an army training exercise are trying to trace a man who had earlier handed a weapon to troops.

The SA80 automatic weapon and a secure portable radio system went missing on a 42 Engineer Regiment training weekend on Dartmoor.

Officers say the man handed a rifle to military personnel, apparently having found it nearby.

He is described as in his late 20s, slim with longish hair and a goatee.

'Important witness'

He was driving a dark saloon car.

"This man is considered to be an important witness," a Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said.

Officers also want to trace a camper van thought to be white, cream or yellow, with corrugated body panelling.

The equipment belonging to the Oxfordshire-based regiment went missing in the early hours of Sunday 21 September at Homing Beam, a regular military training area near Princetown.

The SA80 rifle is one of the British military's standard combat weapons.

It takes a 30-round magazine and is capable of firing 700 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition per minute.