Joe Schneider - Nov 17, 2010 12:16 AM ET Viktor Bout <http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Viktor%20Bout&site=wnews&client=wnews&; proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields =wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1&partialfields=-wnnis:NOAVSYND&lr=-lang_ja> , dubbed the "merchant of death" for allegedly trafficking in arms, will stand trial on four terrorism charges in the U.S. and faces a sentence of life in prison, the Justice Department said.
Bout arrived in New York yesterday evening following his extradition from Thailand. The former Soviet air force officer was transferred to a high-security prison in Manhattan where he will be held until trial, the justice department said. He's scheduled to appear before a federal judge later today. "His extradition is a victory for the rule of law worldwide," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder <http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Eric%20Holder&site=wnews&client=wnews&; proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields =wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1&partialfields=-wnnis:NOAVSYND&lr=-lang_ja> said in a statement last night. Bout has "long been considered one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers." Bout is charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire an anti-aircraft missile and conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist group. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying he was framed by U.S. undercover agents who posed as Colombian rebels. Bout's case has fueled a diplomatic dispute between the U.S. and Russia. The "illegal extradition" resulted from "unprecedented U.S. political pressure on the government and judiciary of Thailand," Russia's foreign ministry said on its website <http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/CBEE36F41D9AD0C9C32577DD00348DEB> . Bout had assembled a fleet of cargo planes capable of transporting weapons and military equipment to Africa, South America and the Middle East, the U.S. said. Colombian Revolutionaries He agreed to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia <http://www.farcejercitodelpueblo.org/> (FARC), a revolutionary group dedicated to overthrowing the government of Colombia, the U.S. said. FARC is also the world's biggest supplier of cocaine, according to the U.S. Bout agreed to provide the group with surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, AK-47 rifles, anti- personnel mines and C-4 plastic explosives, the U.S. said. In a meeting in Thailand, Bout indicated he understood the weapons would be used against U.S. personnel in Colombia, telling undercover agents that the U.S. was his enemy, the government said. "The U.S. needs a scapegoat because they can't find Osama bin Laden <http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Osama%20bin%20Laden&site=wnews&client= wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&get fields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1&partialfields=-wnnis:NOAVSYND&lr=-lang_ja> ," Bout's brother Sergei said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
