Newtown gunman's body collected by father's family

By Peter Rudegeair

Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:18pm EST

n">(Reuters) - The body of gunman who killed 27 people and himself in Newtown, Connecticut, this month in the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history has been collected by his family from the state medical examiner's office, a spokesman for his father's family said on Monday.

A location and date for Adam Lanza's burial was not disclosed. His father, Peter Lanza of Stamford, Connecticut, claimed the body, said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Connecticut's chief medical examiner released Lanza's body on December 27, a spokesman for the office said.

Police say Lanza, 20, shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, in her home on December 14 before forcing his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killing 20 first-grade students, six faculty members and himself.

"Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired," Peter Lanza said in a statement the day after the shooting.

Peter Lanza and Nancy Lanza divorced in 2009, and Adam Lanza continued to live with his mother in Newtown about 5 miles from the Sandy Hook school.

Police have so far offered no motive behind the attack. Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance has said it will likely be months before a final report on the incident is released.

The shooting ranks as the second deadliest at a U.S. school or college, exceeded only by the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia, which left 32 people dead.

The incident has renewed the debate about gun control in the United States. President Barack Obama on Sunday called the day of the Newtown shooting the worst day of his presidency and has pledged to bring the full weight of his office behind efforts to pass new gun control measures.

(This story corrects the headline and first two paragraphs to specify Adam Lanza's body was collected from the medical examiner but no burial or service has occurred)

(Editing by Dan Burns and David Gregorio)

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Four men accused of trying to sell weapons of Saddam's family

n">(Reuters) - Four men were arrested on Thursday and accused of conspiring to sell stolen firearms believed to have belonged to the family of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, officials said.

The pistols, shotguns and revolvers are estimated to be worth $250,000 to $350,000, according to a statement issued by the office of U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in Newark, New Jersey.

The four men are accused of trying to find a buyer in New Jersey for the weapons, which were believed stored in Florida, the prosecutor said.

Law enforcement officials received a tip in April that the firearms were up for sale, according to a criminal complaint filed against the four men.

Authorities used undercover agents who posed as interested buyers in New Jersey to break up the alleged scheme, the prosecutor's statement said.

In October, Iraq's Ambassador to the United States, Jabir Habeb, confirmed that the weapons belonged to the Republic of Iraq, according to the complaint, which did not include any details of where the guns had come from or how they came to be stolen.

Officials said the weapons included a Coonan Arms .357 semi-automatic nickel-finish pistol with gold inlay and a medallion "QS" on the side of the grip believed to be the initials of Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti, one of Hussein's sons.

The other weapons were two Korth .357 magnum revolvers, a Chinese State Factories type semi-automatic pistol with a Yemen flag icon on each side and Arabic writing on the slide, two Cosmi 12-gauge shotguns and a Llama semi-automatic .45 ACP pistol with gold leaf and gold inlays, also bearing the initials "Q.S.," they said.

The accused men were identified as David Ryan, 48, of Miami; Karlo Sauer, 42, of Pittsburgh; Howard Blumenthal, 74, of Fort Lee, New Jersey; and Carola Quirola, also known as Carlos Quirola-Ordonez, 55, of New Milford, New Jersey.

They were charged with conspiracy to transport stolen firearms and conspiracy to sell and receive stolen property.

Ryan also was charged with unlawful mailing of firearms.

If convicted of conspiracy, they could each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The unlawful mailing count carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Blumenthal and Quirola appeared on Thursday before a U.S. Magistrate in Newark, Ryan appeared in federal court in the Southern District of Florida and Sauer appeared in the Western District of Pennsylvania, the prosecutor's statement said.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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