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Alleged Russian Arms Dealer Extradited From Thailand

16.11.2010 10:00

A Russian man reputed to be one of the world's most prolific arms dealers has been extradited to the United States, more than two years after his arrest.

Police and airport officials said Viktor Bout was flown out of Bangkok on a special U.S. plane shortly after the Thai cabinet agreed with an earlier court decision to send Bout to the United States.

Today's move follows months of legal battle in a case that led to a diplomatic tussle between Moscow and Washington. The Russian national now faces trial in the United States for terrorism-related charges.

Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet Air Force officer dubbed the "Merchant of Death," has allegedly supplied weapons that fueled civil wars in South America, the Middle East, and Africa.

According to televised remarks on Russian television, Bout's wife, Alla, said the Thai decision had “no legal basis whatsoever," adding: "This is an unequivocally political decision, lobbied by the U.S. government."

Bout's lawyer said he would file a complaint with the government on November 17.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok confirmed Bout's extradition but declined to elaborate on the case.

Russia today called Bout's extradition "illegal" and said it had no justification. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Thailand's government had yielded to "unprecedented" U.S. pressure.

The Russian Embassy expressed surprise, with Interfax news agency quoting official Andrei Dvornikov as saying: "All of this was done very quickly, even urgently, and, it seems, secretly."

In August, a Thai court ordered Bout’s extradition within three months, overturning a lower court's ruling. But the extradition was delayed by extra charges of money-laundering and fraud submitted by U.S. prosecutors.

A Thai court threw out the charges in October, clearing the way for extradition.

Sting Operation

Bout has been imprisoned since his arrest at a Bangkok luxury hotel in March 2008. He was caught in a sting operation involving U.S. agents who posed as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization.

Bout was indicted in the United States on terrorism-related charges that include conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to FARC, including surface-to-air missiles, guns, helicopters, and airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and missiles. He was also charged with conspiring to kill Americans and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Bout could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

The head of an air-transport empire, Bout has long evaded United Nations and U.S. sanctions aimed at blocking his financial activities and restricting his travel. His clients allegedly included Liberia's Charles Taylor and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and both sides of the civil war in Angola.

Bout has denied any involvement in illicit activities, claiming he ran a legitimate business.

with news agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/Thailand_To_Extradite_Arms_Dealer_To_US/2221221.html

Copyright (c) 2010. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.