International Arms Dealer Victor Bout Indicted by U.S.
The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of an indictment against international arms dealer Viktor Bout, for, among other things, conspiring to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (the FARC), a designated foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia, to be used to kill Americans in Colombia.
Bout has been called the "poster boy for a new generation of post Cold War international arms dealers." The Indictment unsealed today charges Bout with four separate terrorism offenses:
Count One: Conspiracy to kill United States nationals;
Count Two: Conspiracy to kill United States officers or employees;
Count Three: Conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile; and
Count Four: Conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
If convicted, Bout faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on each of Counts One through Three, including a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison for Count Three and a maximum sentence of 15 years on Count Four.
Bout has been in custody in Thailand since March 6, 2008 and the U.S. is actively pursuing Bout’s extradition from Thailand.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
