 |
|
CNN: Viktor Bout arrested in Thailand:
Seems like he was arrested on a U.S. warrant. Here's my interview with Doug Farah, who wrote the book on Bout. (Thanks to AY).For years, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has made millions of dollars allegedly delivering weapons and ammunition to warlords and militants. Officials believe many of his activities may be illegal, and on Thursday, Thai police announced his arrest.
Authorities say Viktor Bout, seen in this 2002 image, has sold arms to al Qaeda and the Taliban.
A formal announcement on his arrest is expected later in the day in New York.
He was picked up in Bangkok but neither police nor U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Cynthia Brown had details on his arrest.
"We can confirm he has been arrested in Bangkok, and we congratulate the Thai authorities on making this arrest," Brown said.
Intelligence agencies around the world have tracked Bout for years. While some of his work has been legitimate, most has not.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has a warrant for Bout's arrest, and the United States could request extradition, but the details are still being worked out, a U.S. government official told CNN....
Could this have anything to do with what Doug Farah told me last year, that Bout was thought to be supplying Hezbollah through Syria?
MJ: You mentioned that Bout was supplying Hezbollah, presumably with authorization from the Russian government. Do you believe this indicates a kind of proxy war between the U.S. and Russia in Lebanon via Israel and Hezbollah, or that it is just a reflection of Russian defense manufacturers seeking a profit outlet for their supplies?
DF: I think it is both. Russia has long had an interest in Hezbollah and has given the group support, which it continues to do. It is clear from the large stockpiles of new armor-piercing Russian missiles that Hezbollah used last year. But such activities both project Russian power, at a time when the Putin government is desperate to project Russian power across the world, as well as provide outlets for the sale of Russian weapons.
Update: AP reports Bout was arrested on charges of arming Colombia's FARC:
More from the Yorkshire Ranter. Posted by Laura at March 6, 2008 09:20 AMOne of the world's most notorious arms dealers was arrested Thursday in Bangkok on allegations that he supplied Colombian rebels with arms and explosives, Thai police said.
Russian Viktor Bout was arrested in his hotel room in the capital, Bangkok, on a warrant issued by a Thai court, said Police Lt. Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, head of the Crime Suppression Bureau. The warrant stemmed from an earlier one issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, he said.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman ''congratulated'' Thai police for the arrest but could not provide details about the role U.S. officials played in it.
Police Col. Petcharat Sengchai told reporters that Bout was wanted on charges of ''procuring weapons and explosives for Colombian rebels'' known as the Revolutionary Armed Forced of Colombia or FARC. The leftist FARC has been fighting Colombia's government for more than four decades, and funds itself largely through the cocaine trade and kidnaps for ransom and political ends.
Bout, a murky figure rarely seen in public, has also been accused of trafficking weapons to Central and West Africa since the early 1990s. United Nations reports say he set up a network of more than 50 aircraft around the world and trade experts have said the illicit diamond trade was likely one source of funds for his smuggled arms shipments.
Although Bout has been investigated by police in several countries, he has never been prosecuted for arms dealing. ...