Army rifle stolen by soldier in Recife recovered

Brazilian authorities have recovered a 7.62 mm FAL rifle that was stolen from the 7th Army Supply Depot in Recife on October 17. The weapon, along with 20 rounds of ammunition and a magazine, was located in the Pina neighborhood during a joint operation involving the Civil, Military, and Federal police, as well as the Army Police.

The rifle had been missing for 11 days. The soldier responsible, 20-year-old Pedro Gabriel Bezerra do Nascimento, had previously surrendered to the Civil Police on October 21 after being missing for four days. He remains in custody at the 4th Army Police Battalion.

Investigators noted that the recovered firearm had its serial number suppressed. The seized materials have been sent to the 7th Homicide Police Station in Paulista for forensic analysis as the investigation continues to determine how the weapon was handled while missing.