Carlo (submachine gun)
| Carlo | |
|---|---|
A Carlo seized by IDF forces at a military checkpoint near Nablus, 2006 | |
| Type | Submachine gun |
| Place of origin | Palestine |
| Service history | |
| Used by |
|
| Wars | Israeli-Arab conflict |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2000(?) |
| Manufacturer | Small metalworking shops |
| Produced | 2000(?)-present |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | variable |
| Length | variable |
| Barrel length | variable |
| Cartridge | Various cartridges |
| Calibre | Various calibers |
| Action | Simple (straight) blowback |
| Rate of fire | variable |
| Muzzle velocity | variable |
| Feed system | Various magazine capacities |
| References | [1][2][3] |
The Carlo (Arabic: كارلو; [kar.lu]), also referred to as the Carl Gustav (Arabic: كارلوجستاف; [kar.lu.dʒis.taf])[4] is an improvised submachine gun manufactured by small workshops in the Palestinian territories. The design was inspired by and named after the Swedish Carl Gustaf m/45 and its Egyptian Port Said variant;[5] however, the similarity is often only passing.[1]
The weapon is used by various Palestinian militants, including Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades.[6] It has also become popular with criminal groups in countries outside of the Levant, including in South American countries such as Brazil and Chile, Croatia, Ukraine, Italy, the Caribbean and Australia.[1]
The Carlo's homemade nature makes it affordable on the black market, where it is purchased not only by Palestinians targeting Israelis,[7] but also by Arab-Israeli gangs.[4] The Carlo is cheap and requires little skill or equipment to manufacture, but it is inaccurate and prone to jamming and misfiring.[1][2]
History
Throughout the 2000s, it was primarily made and used by Arab-Israeli gangs, meant to serve as a cheaper alternative to the AK-47 and the Tavor.[8] Palestinian militants had started using it by 2014, as the IDF reported netting several Carlos in a raid on a Nablus arms cache.[9]
It gained widespread use during the 2015–2016 wave of violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; according to The Guardian, it was used in up to 68 attacks during this period.[4] Among the most notable include the death of Hadar Cohen[10][11] and the June 2016 Tel Aviv shooting.[12][13][14]
Carlos were used in the 2017 Temple Mount shooting, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli Druze policemen, Haiel Sitawe and Kamil Shnaan.[15] The two perpetrators of the 2025 Ramot Junction shooting also used Carlos, killing six before being shot themselves.[16]
Design
Produced in several locations via underground workshops and often with second-hand gun parts, the specifications are not uniform.[3] Initially, it was made partially with scrapped pipes. Some more recent makes of the Carlo have been made with rifled barrels, raising the price from under USD$800 to nearly $4,000.[1]
As of recent, most parts are cannibalized from lost/stolen M4-type rifles and magazines, taken from IDF training areas or people's houses.[2][3] Others are made from rifle accessories that are easily purchased online,[3] and some even incorporate parts of airsoft or paintball rifles.[17][18]
Often chambered for 9×19mm handgun cartridges, variants for .22 LR, .32 ACP, 9×18mm, and 5.56×45mm are also produced,[1] but the presence of the latter is suggested to be impossible since samples of the weapon had 5.56 NATO magazines modified to house Uzi magazines or sometimes with pistol-based magazines.[3] Some of them were made with M16-type pistol grips and Uzi-based 25-round magazines.[2][1] One instance of a Carlo seized had a STANAG magazine used to hide a 9×19 Uzi or a homemade magazine.[19] Others were based on the MP5 and the AK rifles.[1] They can only fire in full auto in an open bolt with the ejection port on the left side and the charging handle on the right side.[2]
The Carlo, made to be compact, was best used by being concealed on the left side of someone's clothes (usually jacket) with the right hand being used to draw it.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gross, Judah Ari. "Say hello to 'Carlo,' the cheap, lethal go-to gun for terrorists". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909.
- ^ a b c d e f "The "Carlo" of Palestine". July 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Improvised Replica Firearms from the West Bank". November 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c Beaumont, Peter (14 March 2016). "Homemade guns used in Palestinian attacks on Israelis". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ "Craft-produced 'Carlo pistols' used in Tel Aviv restaurant shooting". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016.
- ^ Hays, G.; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (2018). Inowlocki, Tania (ed.). Beyond State Control: Improvised and Craft-produced Small Arms and Light Weapons (PDF). Geneva: Small Arms Survey. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-2-940548-56-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Khader, Ismael; Williams, Dan (2 March 2016). "Palestinians turn to makeshift guns in escalation of street violence". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Harel, Amos; Kubovich, Yaniv (12 March 2016). "Lethal weapon: The homemade gun that's firing up the terror wave". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Ferguson, Jonathan (9 July 2014). "IDF recover various weapons including improvised firearms in Nablus". The Hoplite. Armament Research Services. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Gross, Judah Ari (3 February 2016). "Border Police officer, 19, dies after Jerusalem terror attack". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Yanovsky, Roi; Levy, Elior; Zitun, Yoav (3 February 2016). "One killed, two wounded in J'lem terror attack". Ynet. Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ Beaumont, Peter (2016-06-08). "Four dead in Tel Aviv market shooting". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ Shuttleworth, Kate (8 June 2016). "Witnesses Describe Gunshots and Terror as Tel Aviv Mass Shooting Kills 4". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ Harel, Amos (9 June 2016). "Tel Aviv shooting: A planned, ambitious terror attack". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ Gross, Judah Ari (14 July 2017). "Police chief confirms two officers killed in Temple Mount shooting". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2025-09-08). "Jerusalem shooters used makeshift 'Carlo' submachine gun, photos indicate". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
- ^ Moore, Jack (11 June 2016). "The homemade "Carlo" gun is becoming the weapon of choice for Palestinian attackers". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
- ^ Gross, Judah Ari; Tress, Luke (3 February 2021). "Shin Bet: Israelis sold airsoft rifles, easily made into real ones, to West Bank". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ^ "Improvised 'Carlo' submachine guns used in Jerusalem attack – Armament Research Services".