Weapons stolen from Australian navy vessel

SYDNEY (AFP) - An intruder robbed an Australian navy vessel of a cache of weapons today after overpowering military personnel on guard, the defence department said, in a major security breach.

The Australian Department of Defence said the infiltrator "overwhelmed a duty member onboard a patrol boat" which was moored at HMAS Coonawarra, a naval base in the northern city of Darwin.

"The intruder overpowered the duty member, accessed the vessel's armoury and removed a number of weapons," it said in a statement, without specifying what arms were taken. "The person then departed the vessel with the weapons."

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that a crew member was tied up in the attack, which took place at the Larrakeyah Naval Base which is now in lock-down.