Thai court delays Viktor Bout extradition

A Thai court on Monday delayed the extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to the US pending further hearings linked to new charges brought against him.

Reuters

A Thai appeals court in August ordered that Bout, who has been nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” and is said to have inspired the film Lord of War, be handed over.

But the process has been held up by technicalities and new accusations of money-laundering and fraud.

His lawyers opposed the dropping of new charges in a successful attempt to keep him in Thailand. 

Bout, who is being held in a high-security Bangkok prison, arrived at the court wearing a bullet-proof vest and guarded by a team of police commandos.

Asked if he thought he would receive a fair trial in the US, he replied, “No, of course not.”

Russia has claimed the extradition attempt is politically motivated and said that it will do “everything necessary” to bring Bout home.