A man has been arrested in the northern Australian city of Darwin after weapons were stolen in a raid on a navy vessel.

Two shotguns and 12 pistols had been taken from a navy patrol boat moored at HMAS Coonawarra naval base at about midnight on Thursday. All the weapons have been recovered.

The attacker, dressed in military clothing and wearing a balaclava, had overpowered and tied up a sailor.

The navy has announced an inquiry into the breach of security.

'Significant result'

Northern Territory police said they had raided an apartment in Darwin at about 14:30 (05:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Commander Richard Bryson said: "This is a significant result for the Northern Territory Police and the community to recover these weapons and remove them from the streets so quickly."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Vice Admiral Ray Griggs speaks before the arrest was announced

The attack took place on the Armidale-class patrol boat, Bathurst.

The sailor was chained with cable ties, but had released himself to raise the alarm. He suffered only minor injuries.

HMAS Coonawarra is a key navy base, with about 600 naval personnel.

The navy has launched an investigation into the incident.

Royal Australian Navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said this was a security breach "we need to obviously look into very carefully".

He added: "There is an investigation under way from a police perspective, but I have also initiated a review of security on board our ships and establishments."