BANGKOK, THAILAND (BNO NEWS) -- Alleged Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, will be extradited to the U.S. to face terrorism related charges after an appeals court in Thailand made the decision on Friday, ending his 20-year run of evading capture.
Bout, 43, dubbed "The Merchant of Death," is accused of dealing weapons around the world to rebel and insurgent groups including, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and several others in Afghanistan, Angola, Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, among others.
A former Soviet army translator and air force officer, Bout speaks six languages and has worked under at least seven different names. In 2008, he was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand during a Thai and U.S. joint operation when undercover agents posed as FARC members in search of weapons. Bout promised the rebels to supply them with anti-aircraft missiles, thousands of guns and even helicopters and equipped aircraft.
Furthermore, in past transactions, Bout allegedly accepted "blood diamonds" from former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who is currently on trial in the international court in The Hague, Netherlands, in exchange for weapons.
“We are extremely pleased that the Appeals Court in Thailand has granted the extradition of Viktor Bout to the United States on charges of conspiring to sell weapons to a terrorist organization for use in killing Americans,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler. “The prosecution of Viktor Bout is of utmost priority to the United States, but the criminal charges he faces are not solely an American concern. He has been sanctioned by the United Nations for alleged arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts in Africa.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the other hand, has described the ruling as "unlawful and political."
Bout, who was the inspiration for the Nicholas Page character in the film The Lord of War, faces U.S. charges of conspiring to kill Americans, conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, money-laundering and electronic fraud. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
(This article was originally posted on the BNO News website).
