Teen hid massive Samurai sword down his trousers as police swooped

Two teenagers have been jailed for a total of nine-and-a-half-years after being caught in possession of a loaded gun and a Samurai sword.

One of them tried to conceal the Samurai sword in his trousers as police swooped on their taxi at the climax of an intelligence-led operation by the Met's Trident unit.

Mucktar Khan, 19, of Tavy Close, Kennington, was found guilty of possession of a firearm and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Joshua Eduardo, 18, of Kennington Park Road, Vauxhall, pleaded guilty to the same charges at an earlier hearing.

Khan received a six-year prison sentence while Eduardo got three-and-a-half years behind bars handed down by a judge at Inner London Crown Court on 9 February.

The pair were travelling in a taxi through Camberwell, south London, at around 1am on 15 February 2017 when armed officers pulled the vehicle over.

Eduardo was found in possession of a bag containing a loaded revolver which was fully cocked. Two rounds of the firearm appeared to have been fired.

He also had a Samurai sword, which he sought to conceal by putting it down his trouser leg as the vehicle was stopped by police.

When searched, Khan was found to be wearing ballistic body armour and had a balaclava in his possession.

The firearm was examined at the Met's Firearms Forensics Unit and was identified as a Hinge Frame Webley Revolver of .32 calibre.

Khan was also found guilty of a Section 49 Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) offence after he failed to disclose a PIN number for a mobile phone.

Detective Constable Martin Reader from the Met's Trident and Area Crime Command said: "As the result of a proactive, intelligence-led operation these two men were caught in possession of two lethal weapons.

"Trident detectives work tirelessly to remove illegal firearms and knives from the streets of London.

"The lengthy custodial sentences handed to these two defendants reflect the potentially fatal consequences of possessing a loaded gun and a Samurai sword in a public place."

Both defendants were found not guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.