Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The British paper, The Independent said "that British MPs are to investigate allegations of illegal weapons sales at British weapons fairs after a judge ruled there was "credible" evidence of wrongdoing at the biggest event in the arms trade's calendar "DSEI arms fair".

The newspaper added that "The House of Commons Committee on Arms Export Control, made up of MPs from all the main parties, will look into the allegations that a judge said had not been "appropriately investigated by the authorities".

"Expert witnesses told the court that British arms had been used for brutal internal repression in Bahrain and Turkey, potentially breaching arms control rules, and also by Saudi Arabia in its widely condemned bombing campaign in Yemen," it added.

It further stated that lawyers acting on behalf of anti-arms trade campaigners "have threatened to take the British government to court for continuing to allow exports to Saudi Arabia."

The House of Commons International Development Committee and the European Parliament have both called for an arms embargo against the autocratic petro-state, a call the Government has so far ignored, the newspaper highlighted.

A spokesperson for the Committee on Arms Export Control confirmed to the Independent that "alleged illegality at arms fairs would "certainly" form part of the wider inquiry into arms exports, following last week's ruling."

He added that "the committee does not currently have plans to launch a specific inquiry on DSEI. However, we are looking at the impact of the Arms Trade Treaty on the arms market in Britain."

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the service was "considering the judgment, and will discuss it with the Crown Prosecution Service".

The DSEI spokesperson said on Friday "the exhibition complied with all relevant arms control regulations in 2015 and that it allowed government agencies full access to its premises."

"All our exhibitors are contractually bound to ensure that they exhibit at DSEI in a manner which is compliant with all relevant arms control legislation. We are explicitly clear that any exhibitors or individuals found to be in breach of compliance regulations at DSEI will be immediately ejected," he noted.

The probe into the fairs comes after the acquittal of eight anti-arms trade protesters who tried to blockade the 2015 DSEI arms fair in London's docklands - on the grounds that they were trying to prevent a bigger crime from taking place.

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