A Thai court yesterday opened extradition hearings for alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, which could send the man dubbed the “Merchant of Death” to the US to face terrorism charges.
Thailand’s criminal court must decide whether there is enough evidence to extradite Bout to the US, where he could face life in prison for allegedly funneling arms to some of the world’s bloodiest conflict zones.
Bout did not speak to reporters as he entered the courtroom in shackles, an orange prison-issue outfit and running shoes.
The stocky former Soviet air force officer was arrested in Bangkok in March after a sting operation headed by US agents, and yesterday’s proceedings opened with Bout’s lawyers filing an appeal against his detention.
“I have submitted the petition that Viktor Bout has been detained illegally,” his Thai lawyer Preecha Prasertsak told reporters, but did not say on what grounds they were contesting the detention.
The judge told the court that a separate date would be set to discuss the petition, and opened the extradition hearings.
Lawyers questioned the first witness for the prosecution, a Thai foreign ministry official, on technical details of the arrest and extradition case. A US embassy official and Thai police officer were also due to testify yesterday.
The fourth and final prosecution witness and witnesses for the defense will be called to the stand on Oct. 10.
During the sting operation, Bout allegedly agreed to supply surface-to-air missiles to US anti-drug agents posing as rebels from Colombia’s Marxist FARC group, which Washington considers a terrorist organization.
He has been charged with conspiracy to kill US officers or employees and conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile.
Bout has been held at a maximum-security prison outside Bangkok since his arrest on March 6, and has complained that he has been jailed unlawfully on “fabricated American accusations.”
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
US ELECTION: Polls show that the result is likely to be historically tight. However, a recent Iowa poll showed Harris winning the state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris courted voters angered by the Gaza war while former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump doubled down on violent rhetoric with a comment about journalists being shot as the tense US election campaign entered its final hours. The Democratic vice president and the Republican former president frantically blitzed several swing states as they tried to win over the last holdouts with less than 36 hours left until polls open on election day today. Trump predicted a “landslide,” while Harris told a raucous rally in must-win Michigan that “we have momentum — it’s
CARGO PLANE VECTOR: Officials said they believe that attacks involving incendiary devices on planes was the work of Russia’s military intelligence agency the GRU Western security officials suspect Russian intelligence was behind a plot to put incendiary devices in packages on cargo planes headed to North America, including one that caught fire at a courier hub in Germany and another that ignited in a warehouse in England. Poland last month said that it had arrested four people suspected to be linked to a foreign intelligence operation that carried out sabotage and was searching for two others. Lithuania’s prosecutor general Nida Grunskiene on Tuesday said that there were an unspecified number of people detained in several countries, offering no elaboration. The events come as Western officials say
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
RSS