Video shows AK‑47 rifle stolen from Budapest hotel during movie shoot
An inactive AK-47 assault rifle was stolen from a Budapest hotel during preparations for a music video shoot, after someone simply picked it up from the crew’s props and walked out with it into the hallway.
The unusual theft prompted police intervention at the hotel, where the crew was organising equipment. Among the items laid out in the corridor was a rented, inactive AK-47 rifle. The weapon was left unattended for only a few minutes, but that was enough for a hotel guest to notice it and take action.
According to the video evidence, the man took the rifle from the equipment, slipped it under his coat and disappeared from the corridor. When the crew returned, they immediately realised the weapon was missing. Reception was alerted, and responding officers reviewed security camera footage. The video clearly showed which room the suspect had exited and how he tried to hide the AK-47 as if it were his own luggage.
Investigators acted quickly, identifying 46-year-old Ferenc T., who was soon apprehended at his residence.
The suspect offered a surprisingly simple explanation during questioning: “I intended to take it home and hang it on the wall.”
The prop rifle was eventually recovered by the police and returned to the film crew.
Hotel CCTV cameras captured the events; see the recording below:
Missing military equipment
A similar, larger-scale incident occurred last autumn during the filming of Dragons Over Kabul, an action movie about the 2021 Sámán Shield evacuation that is set to premiere in cinemas soon.
Police arrived at the Hungarian Defence Forces’ Újdörögd war-torn village set after crew members noticed that two pieces of military equipment had vanished from the filming props, which had originally been stored in off-duty armouries and armoured cabinets.
The film depicts the 2021 Operation Sámán Shield, when the Hungarian Defence Forces evacuated 540 people during NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. As a result, the production included numerous military scenes, and to maintain authenticity the crew used real military equipment as well as replica weapons during filming.
The Veszprém County Police Headquarters confirmed that the Tapolca Police Department is investigating the theft, but provided no further details.
Telex contacted several sources regarding the case: the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces General Staff declined to give detailed information, and the film’s producer, Tamás Lajos, along with the production’s press office, could not be reached. It remains unclear exactly what equipment went missing, whether there are suspects or what stage the investigation has reached.
Cover image: Screenshot / Budapesti Rendőr-főkapitányság – Facebook