Sailor in hot water over weapons find

Sailor in hot water over weapons find

INDONESIA: An Australian sailor arrested after Indonesian police seized guns and ammunition on his boat will be charged with illegally possessing firearms -- an offense that carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in jail, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

Christopher Packer, 52, was arrested on Friday on his boat off Bali, said Col. Anthonius Reniban.

Four other foreign sailors on the boat -- a decommissioned freighter called Lissa -- were also detained, but have since been released from custody.

Officers acting on a tip-off seized four rifles, a handgun and more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from the boat. The weapons were undeclared and unlicensed, Reniban said.

"He has carried weapons into Indonesian territory. He will be taken to court."

But Packer's friends and family in Australia said he was an accomplished sailor and longtime adventurer who was sailing to an international regatta in Thailand, and was only carrying weapons to protect himself from pirates.

-- AP