Major Break In Assassination Case
Authorities Closing in on Culprits
A major break in the case relating to the recent assassination attempt made by size armed assailants against the Taoiseach, Líadáin Síomha, has been made after authorities in cooperation with Brenner Ballistics succeeded in tracking the rifle used by the as yet unidentified sniper who initiated the attempt. The rifle is of an unusual calibre and pattern which never entered mass production, however several prototypes were made for testing purposes, some of which were subsequently sold after the rifle was rejected for military use and failed to meet contractual requirements. Despite the design and the rare ammunition type the weapon is perfectly legal to own provided a Type 3 Rifles Licence is held, since the weapon's qualities place it squarely in the precision sports rifles and hunting weapons categories under the Firearms Act 1899; 1983 Amendment. Thanks to the fact that the rifle was not mass produced and each of the models constructed left a unique imprint on the projectile for testing reasons Brenner Ballistics were able to reference the markings on the bullet removed from the Taoiseach's shoulder to their records.
According to records the rifle was returned to Brenner Ballistics unused by the military after the tests were carried out after which it was placed on sale for private ownership. It was subsequently purchased by Silas Sidhe, a rare firearms collector with one of the largest privately owned museums of weapons in Asura; however the rifle was sold by Sidhe in 2016 in order to raise funds after a financial downturn severely effected the museum's finances. The rifle was purchased by Maj. Bridget Hollister, a former navy pilot and stakeholder in ARMEC Incorporated a large umbrella corporation which owns or has significant stakes in seven of tir Lhaeraidd's top fifteen PMCs. Hollister was murdered in 2017 in her home by an unidentified assailant in a case that remains unsolved to this day and much of her property including the rifle was transferred to the ownership of ARMEC. This is where the trail ends; following the break a series of raids on ARMEC offices were ordered by the Court and documents and records have been obtained which are still under review by investigators.
An official statement from ARMEC denies any involvement in the plot and the board has categorically stated that the rifle in question was never received by them. According to ARMEC spokesman Jules Warne the rifle was among several other personal items that were missing from the boxes of transferred property received from Hollister's estate. Among the missing items were her PDA, Smartphone, Laptop, two handguns,and two handwritten journals dated 2013 and 2014. Police reports and records from the Court of Probate at the time confirm this statement's veracity, however there are questions surrounding how and when these items went missing because the law firm which handled the transfer and probate has clear records and security footage proving conclusively that the items were included in the boxes sent to ARMEC. No ARMEC personnel have yet been arrested however several of their subsidiaries are now also under investigation and related PMCs have had their operational licences suspended pending the investigation.
