Alleged merchant of death 'not linked' to Thai arms plane - PM
17:18 17/12/2009 BANGKOK, December 17 (RIA Novosti) - There is no evidence alleged Russian gun-runner Viktor Bout was linked to an illicit arms plane seized in Bangkok en route from North Korea, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.
The Il-76 cargo plane, carrying 35 tons of weaponry, was seized after landing for refueling at Bangkok's Don Muang airport on December 12. Officials said the weapons included missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. The plane's ultimate destination has not been revealed.
According to The Nation daily, Vejjajiva said he saw no links between arms dealer Viktor Bout and the seized arms despite, in his words, "efforts to link them together."
Viktor Bout, as Russian businessman who remains in a Thai jail on charges of illegal arms sales, said Wednesday he had nothing to do with the plane.
Former Russian army officer Bout, 42, remains in custody in a Thai jail after the Bangkok Criminal Court refused in August to extradite him to the United States, where he is facing four terrorism-related charges and a possible life sentence.
According to the latest media reports, the aircraft was registered with a company called Beibars, linked to Serbian arms dealer Tomislav Dmanjanovic.
It had previously been registered to three companies that the U.S. Department of the Treasury said were controlled by the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The plane's crew, consisting of one Belarusian and four Kazakh nationals, was detained and placed into custody for 12 days as Thai police are investigating the incident.
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