Newport magnet fisherman finds suspected CIA-era pistol in Welsh canal

Darren Rice, from Newport, began magnet fishing during the pandemic, and what started as a hobby has turned into a passion. A heavily corroded pistol recovered from a Cardiff canal by magnet fisherman Darren Rice, believed to be a Second World War-era Beretta M1934. (Image: Darren Rice)The compact semi-automatic handgun was widely used by Italian forces during the Second World War and is now heavily corroded after years underwater. A heavily corroded German LP‑42 flare pistol, a Second World War‑era signal gun recovered from the Malpas canal in Newport. Magnet fisherman Darren Rice, from Newport, holds one of the suspected Second World War pistols he has recovered from Welsh waterways.