The guns, which are capable of firing four rounds in quick succession, are believed to have been manufactured in Yugoslavia or Croatia. The "antennae" of the gutted phones function as gun barrels and numbers 5 through 8 on the keypad as triggers.

The images at right, which show a cell phone gun being fired and disassembled to show the bullet chamber, are from a short video demonstration circulating as an attachment to the above email message. It appears to be authentic.

Security experts say the cell phone guns, as well as other "improvised explosive devices," can be detected by screening equipment now in use at airports internationally. Though they have been the subject of security alerts in the U.S. as recently as December 2003, none have yet been sighted in North America.

Sources and further reading:

French Police Seize Guns Disguised as Mobile Phones
The Register (U.K.), 2 October 2003

Cell Phone Guns Discovered
ABC News, 6 December 2000

Press M for Murder: Cell Phones That Kill
Time, 25 January 2004 (press release)

Last updated: 03/11/04