Thailand Extradites Alleged Russian Arms Dealer to US

U.S. authorities are flying suspected Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States to stand trial on terrorism charges, after Thailand extradited him despite Russian objections.

Bout is expected to arrive in New York late Tuesday on a U.S. government-chartered flight from Bangkok. Thai authorities transferred him from a Bangkok prison to U.S. custody earlier in the day.

Washington has long called for the extradition of Bout, whom it wants to try on charges of conspiring to kill Americans and supporting a terrorist organization.

The United States accuses the 43-year-old of selling weapons that fueled conflicts in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

But the Russian government denounced the extradition of the former Soviet air force pilot as illegal, saying it was the result of unprecedented U.S. political pressure on Thailand.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Foreign Ministry considers the entire situation to be an outrageous injustice and the ministry will continue to assist Bout.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Bout’s extradition is “fully consistent” with U.S.-Thailand agreements and with international law. He said Washington is aware of Moscow’s feelings about the issue, but does not expect it to hurt their relations.

Thai authorities arrested Bout in Bangkok in 2008 in a sting operation involving U.S. agents posing as arms buyers for Colombia’s FARC rebel movement. Bout says he ran a legitimate air cargo business. He faces life in prison if convicted of the U.S. charges.

A Thai court initially rejected Washington’s request for Bout’s extradition in 2009, but an appeals court reversed that ruling in August.

Russian officials in Bangkok complained that Thai authorities rushed the extradition without informing the Russian Embassy or giving Bout’s wife a chance to see him before the flight.

Some information in this story was provided by AP.