Thailand extradites 'Merchant of Death' to US (AFP)

BANGKOK (AFP) – A suspected Russian arms dealer dubbed the "Merchant of Death" was flown out of Thailand Tuesday to face trial in the United States following a long legal battle and fierce opposition from Moscow.

Escorted by dozens of armed police commandos and with snipers deployed along the route, Viktor 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 handover 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."

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

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 in the Thai capital after allegedly agreeing to supply surface-to-air missiles, in a series of covert meetings that also took him to Denmark and Romania.

He has repeatedly denied suggestions that he was a former KGB agent and maintains that 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.

"The embassy got no official information from the Thais. It seems a little strange for us. It was done in such a hurry," said Andrey Dvornikov, head of the consular section.

"They have given nothing, no warning for the embassy, for the wife, for the lawyer -- nothing," he told AFP.

Thailand for its part expressed confidence there would be no rift with Moscow.

"This decision will not create a problem with Russia because our foreign ministry has already talked with Russia," Tawin Pleansri, the secretary-general of the National Security Council, told reporters.

"It's our decision, no matter whether Russia agrees or not."

Bout, who speaks six languages and has used at least seven separate identities, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted in the United States on charges including conspiracy to kill US nationals and providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organisation.

Washington alleges that the arms he has sold or brokered have fuelled conflicts and supported regimes in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan.

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Thailand extradites Russian arms suspect to U.S. (Reuters)

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand extradited on Tuesday suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States to face terrorism charges, ending a two-year wrangle between the former Cold War foes.

The 43-year-old former Soviet air force officer, dubbed the "Merchant of Death," was flown out of Bangkok on a small, chartered U.S. aircraft shortly after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his cabinet cleared the extradition.

Bout had been fighting extradition since his March 2008 arrest in Bangkok in a U.S.-led sting operation.

In a surprise move, the Thai cabinet officially acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, clearing the last hurdle for Bout's departure to face trial in a U.S. court.

Russia said Thailand's extradition of Bout to the United States was illegal.

"It is deeply regrettable that the Thai authorities have yielded to political pressure from outside and carried out this illegal extradition of V.A. Bout," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said earlier Bout faced a politically motivated extradition that could undermine strengthening U.S.-Russian ties and undo the White House's efforts to "reset" relations.

A U.S. embassy spokesman declined to comment on the case.

Bout faces U.S. accusations of trafficking arms since the 1990s to dictators and conflict zones in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Dozens of policemen and masked commandos guarded the entrance of Bangkok's maximum-security Bangkwang prison where Bout had been detained.

He was taken from prison in a speeding van with darkened windows, escorted by several security vehicles.

"AMERICAN FANTASY"

A court had cleared the way for Bout's extradition but the executive branch could have blocked it if it had been deemed detrimental to foreign relations or harmful to the individuals involved.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he did not think relations with Russia would worsen, adding that Thailand had been in touch with both countries to explain the legal process.

"Our job was to decide and do what was right. It's not possible to please everyone," Abhisit told reporters.

"The cabinet decision was based on the court ruling that the case was not political and that there was no reason not to extradite him."

Bout's lawyer said he had been informed his client had been sent to the United States and he would continue to fight the case. The cabinet's decision was a violation of "due process" as a request for a retrial for Bout was pending, he said.

Bout, who has long evaded U.N. and U.S. sanctions aimed at blocking his finances and restricting his travels, had called the charges against him an "American fantasy," insisting he was an innocent businessman.

Bout, an inspiration for the Hollywood movie, "Lord of War," starring Nicholas Cage, had been held in prison since his arrest at a luxury Bangkok hotel in a joint U.S.-Thai sting operation in which agents posed as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

The U.S. classifies the Colombian group as a terrorist organization.

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Thailand extradites alleged arms dealer Bout to US (AP)

BANGKOK – Thailand extradited accused Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to the U.S. on Tuesday to face terrorism charges, siding with Washington in a tug of war with Moscow over whether to send him to stand trial or let him go home.

The Cabinet approved Bout's extradition Tuesday after a long legal battle, and police said the 43-year-old was put aboard a plane in Bangkok heading for the United States at about 1:30 p.m. (0630 GMT; 1:30 a.m. EST) in the custody of eight U.S. officials.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his Cabinet had approved extradition after acknowledging an earlier appeals court decision that Bout could be legally extradited.

Bout, a former Soviet air force officer who is reputed to have been one of the world's most prolific arms dealers, was arrested at a Bangkok luxury hotel in March 2008 as part of a sting operation led by U.S. agents.

Bout has allegedly supplied weapons that fueled civil wars in South America, the Middle East and Africa, with clients including Liberia's Charles Taylor and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and both sides in Angola's civil war.

The head of a lucrative air transport empire, Bout had long evaded U.N. and U.S. sanctions aimed at blocking his financial activities and restricting his travel. He claims he ran a legitimate business and never sold weapons, and fought hard to avoid extradition.

Russia on Tuesday described the extradition as "unlawful."

"From a legal point of view what has happened cannot have any rational explanation or justification," said a statement issued in Moscow by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The statement charged that Bout's extradition was the result of "unprecedented political pressure from the USA on the government and judicial authorities of Thailand."

"There is no way to characterize this other than as interference in administering justice, which puts in doubt the independence of the Thai justice system," the statement said, adding that the Foreign Ministry will "take all necessary measures" to protect Bout's legal rights in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The U.S. Embassy said it had no immediate comment.

Russia had made strong public statements warning against Bout's extradition, and privately, both Moscow and Washington were reported to be exerting heavy pressure on Abhisit's government. U.S lawmakers also became involved, sending a letter to the Thai government urging extradition.

Russia says Bout is an innocent businessman and wants him in Moscow. Experts say Bout has knowledge of Russia's military and intelligence operations and that Moscow does not want him going on trial in the United States.

The extradition came just a few days before a deadline that might have let him walk free. The same Thai court that last month gave the final go-ahead for his extradition also had declared that Bout had to be extradited before Nov. 20, or else be released.

Bout was taken from the prison where he has been held and driven under high-security in a motorcade to the airport. His wife Alla had rushed to the prison with his lawyer, but did not get to see him.

A Thai court in August of 2009 originally rejected Washington's request for Bout's extradition on terrorism-related charges. After that ruling was reversed by an appeals court in August this year, the U.S. moved to get him out quickly, sending a special plane to stand by.

However, just ahead of the appeals court ruling, the United States forwarded new money-laundering and wire fraud charges to Thailand in an attempt to keep Bout detained if the court ordered his release. But the move backfired and caused a new delay, and only an early October court ruling cleared the final path to extradition.

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Associated Press writer Yelena Yegorova in Moscow contributed to this report.

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