Surprise US extradition of ‘Merchant of Death’

A SUSPECTED Russian arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death” was flown out of Thailand to face trial in the United States following a long legal battle and fierce opposition from Moscow.

The inspiration for the Hollywood film Lord of War, Viktor Bout has been accused of using a fleet of cargo planes to deliver arms in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Escorted by dozens of armed police commandos and with snipers deployed along the route, Bout was whisked from a maximum security Bangkok prison to a waiting US government plane before his wife had a chance to say goodbye.

His sudden departure came shortly after the Thai cabinet approved his hand over in a move that prompted fresh fury from Moscow, which had vowed to do all it could to bring Bout home.

Russia’s foreign ministry said his extradition was “illegal” and prompted by unprecedented US pressure.

The 43-year-old former Soviet air force pilot has been fighting extradition on terrorism charges since his March 2008 arrest after a sting operation in Bangkok involving undercover US agents posing as Colombian FARC rebels.

He was flown out on a US government plane accompanied by officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), said Colonel Supisarn Bhakdinarunart, commander of Thailand’s Crime Suppression Division.

“The operation had to be carried out quickly because of the possibility of an ambush and assassination on the way,” he told AFP. “The next destination of the flight is secret but its final destination is the US.”

A Thai appeals court in August ordered the Russian to be handed over to the United States but the process was held up by technicalities over new accusations filed by Washington in an attempt to strengthen its case.

Bout has maintained his innocence from the day he was detained after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles, in a series of meetings that also took him to Denmark and Romania. He has repeatedly denied suggestions he was a former KGB agent and maintains he ran a legitimate air cargo business.

Washington, which has described Bout as “one of the world’s most prolific arms traffickers”, has lobbied hard for his extradition. The case has put Thailand in a difficult diplomatic spot between the United States and Russia.

The Russian embassy in Bangkok said it had been taken by surprise by the timing of the extradition, which left Bout’s wife, Alla, in tears.

Bout faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted on charges including conspiracy to kill US nationals and providing resources to a terrorist organisation.