Thai court clears way for U.S. extradition of suspected arms dealer

From Kocha Olarn, CNN

Alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout talks to the media in a temporary cell ahead of his court hearing in Bangkok.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

His lawyer says he will exhaust legal means to avoid being sent to the U.S.
Viktor Bout faces terrorism charges in the United States
He has been called "The Merchant of Death"

RELATED TOPICS

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- A Thai court has cleared the way for the United States to move to extradite an accused international arms dealer on terrorism charges, but he is expected to throw up as many legal roadblocks as possible.

The criminal court ruled to not extradite defendant Viktor Bout on money-laundering and wire-fraud charges, giving prosecutors 72 hours to appeal.

That decision means that an August court ruling stands, at least temporarily, allowing him to be extradited to the United States on the terrorism charges. The Thai appeals court added at the time that Bout should be released if the process was not completed within three months.

Bout's lawyer said he will use every legal way to stall the extradition.

The former Soviet military officer has been indicted by U.S. authorities on a series of charges, including counts of illegally purchasing U.S. cargo planes to ferry weapons to warring parties and regimes in Africa and the Middle East.

Bout, who has been called "The Merchant of Death," was arrested in Bangkok in March 2008. Agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration led a sting operation by posing as members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Bout has been in Thai custody since.

Bout has repeatedly said he has broken no law and that the allegations against him are lies.

On Tuesday, his wife cried and hugged him after the court ruling.

He is accused of supplying weapons to war zones around the world, from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan.

The United States has charged Bout with agreeing to sell surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles and other weapons to FARC.

U.S. authorities accuse Bout of four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization -- a designation given to FARC by the U.S. State Department.

Bout allegedly began building his arms business as the Soviet Union disintegrated in the early 1990s. He acquired surplus Soviet planes and, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, started shipping arms and ammunition to conflict zones.